What remains of a year that felt like a constant stumbling between hope and exhaustion? 2025 was not a year of quiet nuances. It rumbled, crashed, flickered. Politics, justice, wars, gestures laden with symbolism—everything seemed to happen at once and often contradictorily. And yet it was precisely the ruptures that stayed in the memory, those brief moments when it became clear: Something is shifting now.
Here is a retrospective in 25 stages. Without pathos, but with feeling. Because history does not happen only in palaces or courtrooms. It also sits at the kitchen table, scrolls through the news, and shakes its head in disbelief.
1. The skipper who defied cancer and the ocean
On January 14, Charlie Dalin crossed the finish line as the winner of the Vendée Globe—faster than anyone before him. 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes. A record. Months later, it emerged that Dalin had started the race with cancer. No PR stunt, no grand stage. Just keep going. Anyone who did not have to swallow hard for a moment has a heart of teak.
2. Donald Trump returns
On January 20, Donald Trump entered the White House once again. As the 47th President of the United States, with the steady gaze of a man convinced he had never really been gone. His second term began with familiar slogans and a world wondering: Was this a comeback, or rather a déjà vu with new risks?
3. Diplomacy live and unvarnished
On 28 February, an open clash occurred in the Oval Office between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump’s threat to halt aid to Ukraine if no peace plan were implemented made headlines around the world. Diplomacy without filters—and without a safety net. Do we really have to broadcast everything live?
4. Marine Le Pen in Court
31 March shook France. Marine Le Pen was sentenced to five years of uncertainty in the case concerning EU parliamentary assistants. Not yet final, but politically an earthquake. The Rassemblement National suddenly found itself without its defining figure. And the question lay in the street like a toppled campaign sign stand: Who will fill this gap?
5. An American Pope
After the death of Pope Francis, the conclave elected Robert Francis Prevost as the new head of the Church on 8 May. Pope Leo XIV, American, bridge-builder. Continuity with slight course corrections. In a Church full of tensions, his calm language seemed almost soothing.
6. PSG and the Bitter Triumph
On 31 May, Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Champions League for the first time. Paris celebrated, then the mood turned. Riots, chaos, two deaths. A historic victory—overshadowed by a night no one will forget.
7. Twelve Days Under the Shadow of War
On June 13, Israel attacked suspected Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran responded with massive missile barrages. Only on June 24 did a US-mediated ceasefire bring the guns back to silence. 28 dead in Israel, over 1,000 in Iran. Figures that seem sober, but meant lives.
8. Gaza and Hunger
In spring, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip escalated. According to the UN, more than 1,000 people died during chaotic aid distributions. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation ended its mission in November. The famine was officially declared over – but food insecurity remained. Paper reports the all-clear; the stomach disagrees.
9. Crash in Ahmedabad
On June 12, a Boeing 787 operated by Air India crashed shortly after takeoff. 242 people on board, one survivor. The cause remained unclear. And once again, it became clear how thin the line is between everyday life and the abyss.
10. The Miracle of Roland-Garros
Loïs Boisson, 22 years old, world number 361, played her way to the semifinals of the French Open. She defeated two top-ten players, leaving all of Paris in amazement. Sport loves stories like this – so do we.
11. A Summer Between Pop and Flames
Oasis returned, while Coldplay sparked worldwide memes with a kiss-cam moment. At the same time, a wildfire devastated large areas around Marseille. Music, smoke, sirens. A summer that wanted to offer everything at once.
12. The Handshake of Alaska
On August 15, Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Alaska. Cordial, demonstrative, without a tangible result. Images sometimes say more than words – and sometimes exactly the wrong thing.
13. Government crisis in Paris
On September 8, Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a vote of confidence. A first in the Fifth Republic. President Emmanuel Macron appeared weakened, and the balance of power was visibly shaking.
14. Sarkozy behind bars
On September 25, Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy in connection with Libyan campaign financing. Two of them without parole. After 20 days, he was released. The book he wrote in prison became a bestseller. France was astonished – and debated.
15. The political ping-pong over Lecornu
Just three weeks after taking office, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned – and was reappointed four days later. For lack of alternatives. It seemed like political improvisational theater. Not funny, rather weary.
16. An end to the hostage crisis
On October 10, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. Living hostages, bodies, and prisoners were exchanged. An international peacekeeping force is to follow. Hope? Cautiously. Very cautiously.
17. Generation Z raises its voice
From Peru to Nepal, the younger generation protested. Demands for social justice, participation, a future. In the Maghreb, governments responded with promises of reform; elsewhere, regimes fell. This generation does not debate – it acts. And quite clearly so.
18. The Louvre Heist
On October 19, jewels from the former French crown disappeared from the Louvre. Thieves dressed as construction workers, seven minutes, no trace of the stolen goods. A “heist of the century” that showed: even national treasures are not always effectively guarded.
19. Hurricane Melissa
At the end of October, Hurricane Melissa devastated parts of the Caribbean. 76 dead, thousands lost their livelihoods. Climate change once again moved to the center of the debate. How many more times before words become actions?
20. Freedom for Boualem Sansal
On November 12, Boualem Sansal was released after nearly a year in prison. A presidential pardon ended a prolonged diplomatic conflict between Paris and Algiers. A writer breathed a sigh of relief – and with him many others.
21. Ten Years Since November 13
Ten years after the 2015 terrorist attacks, Paris commemorated the victims. Jesse Hughes performed with survivors in the “Chœur du 13.” Grief and resilience in one room. Quiet. Strong.
22. Brigitte Macron and One Sentence Too Many
A disparaging comment by the First Lady about activists from #NousToutes triggered a political storm. Words like small sparks – and suddenly everything was in flames. Politics, justice, and feminism collided head-on.
23. Europe between fatigue and defiance
Across the EU, skepticism toward institutions grew, while voter turnout in local elections also increased. A paradoxical picture. Europe seems exhausted – and remarkably alive.
24. Economy under constant stress
Inflation, energy prices, fragile supply chains. Companies held their breath, consumers held onto their wallets. And yet new ideas, small startups, and local initiatives emerged. Crisis as fertile ground – who would have thought?
25. A year that resonates
2025 was not a year to sit back. It raised questions, left answers open, and demanded conviction. Perhaps that is precisely what remains: the feeling that nothing can be taken for granted. And that engagement should not wait.
Who knows what we will say about this year in ten years? That it was loud, certainly. That it hurt. But perhaps also that it woke us up.
An article by M. Legrand