The French

Empire
Aadya and Amanda
 Some context… FUN FACT
Did you know that
France had a king
whose reign lasted for
only 20 minutes? His
name was Louis XIX
The French Empire was extremely powerful. In fact, it was second most powerful empire
in the world. The first was The British Empire. The French Empire achieved military
supremacy in mainland Europe through notable victories in the War of the Third
Coalition against Austria, Prussia, Russia, Britain and allied nations, notably at the Battle
of Austerlitz in 1805.

At its height in 1812, the French Empire had 130 departments, ruled over 44 million
subjects, maintained an extensive military presence in Germany, Italy, Spain, and
Poland, and counted Austria and Prussia as nominal allies.

By 1789 France's GDP was three times that of Britain. Its large population and vibrant
colonial trade provided a potentially large tax base through which France could finance
its military. As a consequence, France boasted the largest European army and a powerful
navy.
 The Colonies
In total, 72 countries were french colonies. French West Africa was a federation of
eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan
(now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burkina
Faso), Dahomey (now Benin) and Niger. Due to colonisation, many of these
countries (like Mali and Guinea) have french as their official language.

Nearly half of the countries in Africa were either colonies or protectorates. Although
formal French rule in Africa had ended by 1962, the ties it forged continue to shape
relations between France and its former colonial territories throughout the
continent. The lastfrench colony to gain independence was Djibouti which gained
independence in June 27, 1977.
 Population
The total population of the French Empire was 60 millions
people. From its beginnings in the early 1600s through the
great expansion of the late 19th century, the French overseas
empire was formed more by the agencies and stimulation of
the state, church, and armed forces than by the initiation of
the business community.

Merchants, financiers, and manufacturers did engage in and

profit from French imperial ventures, but generally they had
to be prodded into participation by monarchical or republican
Territorial coat-of-arms for St-Pierre and Miquelon. Jacques officials. In this the French colonial empire differed from its
Cartier took possession of these islands for the French Crown
chief rival, the British Empire.
in 1535. Note how the flag depicts the vessel on which the
settlers arrived, as well as their Basque, Breton and Norman
heritage.
 What resources did the
empire take from the
different countries?
From Algeria, the French colony took natural resources such as oil, minerals
and land. Algeria also became a destination for an abundance of European
immigrants (who were later called pieds noir). France mostly wanted iron
ore, manganese, fish, zinc and salt from Morocco. The French wished to
colonize Tunisia to suppress the British and Italian influence and they
controlled Tunisia’s foreign affairs, finances, and maintained the military
troops in its territory.

They wished to take over its government. Moreover, the French colonized
Cameroon for agricultural purposes and monoculture crops like coffee and
cotton. The French colonised Lebanon for the country to be part of the
French colonial empire as the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon. In
conclusion, France wanted to colonize West Africa due to commercial
interests (goods and services) and a civilizing mission.
 How did the imperial governments control
their empires?
Of all the European powers, France was the only one in 1914 with a republican
regime in which most power rested in the hands of Parliament. Different laws
and decrees were voted on in Paris. They were then maintained in French
colonies by the coloniser. Colonies were ruled through decrees issued by two
different ministries, the Ministry of the Interior and the Colonial Office, in Paris
and by executive orders that made the representative of the French government
the main source of the law.

However, the judicial and executive power in the French territories were with
the governor-general, especially in territories which were further away from
France. While the French Empire was mainly under direct rule, protectorates
were established. To maintain the appearance of autonomy, the French left
indigenous sovereigns with symbolic legislative power and kept local legal
institutions intact.

After the conquest of Morocco in 1911, for instance, the sultan was retained as
part of the state apparatus. He signed dahirs (decrees) drafted by his viziers and
approved by the French administration. But for all intents and purposes it was
the French, through the resident general, who ruled the country.
 What nationalist / opposition movements were
forming in the empire you have chosen?

The sudden outburst of the war in summer 1914 shook up many pre-war social and
political structures. One of these was the French labour movement, which was
strongly affected by the general mobilisation and the sudden transition to wartime
economy. An analysis of the 1914-1918 labour movement was not published in
France until 1995. It was written by the historian Jean-Louis Robert, who approached
the movement from a social angle, enabling an understanding of the social
experience of the workers facing the conflict in the Paris region.

The Labour movement started in 1914 and ended in 1918. It was a time where
workers protested against unfair working conditions. However, the government
didn’t listen to their requests, which is one of the reasons for an official analysis
about the labour movement until 1995. During these protests, many women also
began speaking out against unfair conditions that they have faced either at home or
in the workplace. The movement gained a lot of attention but it was difficult to get
the government on their side. In fact, it wasn’t until 1916 and 1917 that the
government decided to send one of their representatives to a meeting with the
workers.
Was your empire expanding and
strong or shrinking and weak?
By 1914, France had amassed an empire incorporating over 10,000,000
km2 (4,000,000 mi2) and 60 million people. In Southeast Asia the French
pieced together the colony of Indochina by 1893, adding Laos, Cambodia
(now Kampuchea), Annam, and Tonkin to Cochin China. Tunisia and
Morocco became protectorates.

France was one of the world's leading trading nations but industrial
production was lower than both Germany and Britain. The French
government considered Germany to be the main threat to its territory. This
was reinforced by Germany's decision in 1882 to form the Triple Alliance.

The French empire was the second largest empire and very strong during
WW1 due to its well-furnished and growing economy and its numerous
allied troops, colonies. Moreover, the French military was very sufficient
and was one of the most hostile empires as they captured approximately
140,000 prisoners.
THANK YOU