The French franc was a rock-solid currency until the beginning of the First World War; but after that, it quickly declined. In the 1950's finally, the colonial war in Algeria, the Suez Crisis, and a succession of government crises, ruined the French currency completely. Within eight years, prices increased about 50 percent in France. In December 1958, President Charles de Gaulle put a stop to this situation. He decreed a monetary reform, devaluating the franc by 15 percent, at the same time eliminating two zeros. To gain peoples trust in the new franc, de Gaulle reverted to traditional coin motifs. The image in this 10 franc-coin shows the so-called group of Hercules, a design dating back to 1795. The image shows Hercules, sparsely clad in a lion skin, shielding the female personifications of Liberty and Equality.