France arrondissements, which are, in turn, subdivided into 2,054 cantons. These cantons are then divided into 36,658 communes, which are municipalities with an elected municipal council. Three communes—Paris, Lyon and Marseille—are subdivided into 45 municipal arrondissements. The regions, departments and communes are all known as territorial collectivities, meaning they possess local assemblies as well as an executive. Arrondissements and cantons are merely administrative divisions. However, this was not always the case. Until 1940, the arrondissements were territorial collectivities with an elected assembly, but these were suspended by the Vichy regime and definitely abolished by the Fourth Republic in 1946. In addition
Administrative law under way. In France, most claims against the national or local governments as well as claims against private bodies providing public services are handled by administrative courts, which use the "Conseil d'État" (Council of State) as a court of last resort for both ordinary and special courts. The main administrative courts are the "tribunaux administratifs" and appeal courts are the "cours administratives d'appel". Special administrative courts include the National Court of Asylum Right as well as military, medical and judicial disciplinary bodies. The French body of administrative law is called ""droit administratif"". Over the course of their history, France's administrative