How France Nearly Ruled the World: The French Empire

00:20:44
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGvytT8ckeU

概要

TLDRThis video outlines the history of France's colonial empire, from its powerful beginnings in the 16th century to its decline due to wars and decolonization. Initially, France led expeditions that mapped parts of North America and the Caribbean. Attempts to establish long-lasting settlements often ended in failure, prompting a lack of enthusiasm for colonization. The development of New France began in the 17th century along with trading posts and settlements, but the empire was soon challenged by British expansion, leading to significant losses in North America and the Caribbean. The French Empire peaked before World War I but faced further decline after World War II, leading to decolonization in the mid-20th century. Today, France retains a few overseas territories, while the French language remains prevalent worldwide, showcasing the lasting impact of France's exploration efforts.

収穫

  • 🌍 France's territory extends far beyond mainland Europe.
  • 📜 The French Empire was once the second largest globally.
  • 💔 Many initial colonization efforts were unsuccessful.
  • 🏗️ New France developed slowly, focusing on trade and alliances.
  • ⚔️ Wars with Britain led to significant territorial losses.
  • 📉 The empire began to dissolve post-World War II.
  • 🗣️ French remains a major global language today.
  • 🇭🇹 Haiti was the first to gain independence from France.
  • 🔄 The decolonization process occurred mainly in the 1950s-60s.
  • 🧭 French explorers played a crucial role in its expansion.

タイムライン

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    France is a nation not only found on the mainland but also has territories dispersed globally, known as France Dutra or overseas France, holding a population of over 2.8 million people, remnants of a significant colonial empire. This history traces back to powerful French expeditions during the 16th century, which initially struggled in establishing lasting colonies despite some early mapping successes in North America, like those of Giovanni de Verrazano and Jacques Cartier.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    French colonization in the Americas faced several failures during the 16th century, coupled with the country's internal religious conflicts, leading to a lack of enthusiasm for overseas ventures. However, the 17th century saw renewed efforts, with the establishment of settlements and trading posts in New France, capitalizing on natural resources like fish and fur, notably starting with Samuel de Champlain and continued with the Company of 100 Associates, aiming to increase European immigration to the underdeveloped colony.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    The French commercial ambitions extended beyond North America to the Caribbean and South America, where they established several island colonies and sought to dominate trade routes. By the late 17th century, France had developed a substantial colonial presence, having gained territories in the Caribbean and an outpost in what is now French Guiana, while simultaneously participating in the transatlantic slave trade to support sugar plantations and other colonial endeavors.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:44

    Despite achieving extensive territorial gains in the 18th century, ongoing conflicts with Britain, particularly in the Seven Years War, led to significant losses for France in North America and the Caribbean by 1763, marking a decline of the first French colonial empire. The revolutions and changing political landscapes in the late 18th century resulted in a continued loss of territories, particularly with the independence of Haiti and the sale of Louisiana to the United States, reshaping France's colonial footprint to a mere handful of territories remaining.

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ビデオQ&A

  • What is France's colonial history about?

    The history covers France's expansion into overseas territories, its colonial empire, and the subsequent decline due to wars and independence movements.

  • How did France establish its colonies?

    France began its colonial pursuits in the 16th century, focusing on fishing, fur trading, and establishing settlements in North America and the Caribbean.

  • What led to the decline of the French Empire?

    The decline was marked by wars with Britain, loss of territories, and independence movements in the 20th century.

  • What remains of the French Empire today?

    Today, France has 13 overseas regions and territories, with a significant population still speaking French across the globe.

  • When did decolonization occur for France?

    Decolonization occurred mainly in the 1950s and 1960s as former colonies fought for their independence.

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  • 00:00:00
    If you were asked to pick out France on
  • 00:00:01
    a map, you would most likely choose this
  • 00:00:04
    area in Europe, bounded by the waters of
  • 00:00:06
    the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel,
  • 00:00:09
    and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as
  • 00:00:11
    the land borders shared with Belgium,
  • 00:00:14
    Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy,
  • 00:00:17
    Spain, and Andor. You would also be
  • 00:00:20
    right to point out the island of
  • 00:00:21
    Corsica. However, this is not the only
  • 00:00:24
    part of France that is separated from
  • 00:00:26
    the mainland, for the nation's territory
  • 00:00:28
    actually extends far beyond the confines
  • 00:00:31
    of continental Europe. From the
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    far-flung tropics of the Pacific to the
  • 00:00:35
    dense rainforests of South America and
  • 00:00:38
    the stormb battered coasts of Canada,
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    there are 13 islands and territories
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    scattered across the globe that are
  • 00:00:44
    collectively referred to as France Dutra
  • 00:00:47
    or overseas France.
  • 00:00:50
    With a combined population of over 2.8
  • 00:00:53
    million people, these are the last
  • 00:00:55
    imperial vestigages of France's once
  • 00:00:57
    mighty colonial empire. In a period of
  • 00:01:00
    little over 400 years, the zeal and
  • 00:01:02
    daring of French explorers allowed the
  • 00:01:05
    nation to exert its control and
  • 00:01:07
    influence across many regions of the
  • 00:01:09
    world, stretching from the Rocky
  • 00:01:10
    Mountains all the way to Tahiti. But how
  • 00:01:14
    did this empire, which at multiple times
  • 00:01:16
    in history stood as the second largest
  • 00:01:18
    in the world, become reduced to only a
  • 00:01:21
    handful of sparsely populated and
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    isolated
  • 00:01:24
    territories. This is the history of the
  • 00:01:27
    French
  • 00:01:28
    [Music]
  • 00:01:31
    Empire. The Kingdom of France at the
  • 00:01:33
    beginning of the 16th century was one
  • 00:01:35
    of, if not the most powerful nations in
  • 00:01:38
    Europe. Boasting a strong army and a
  • 00:01:41
    well-developed economy, France stood
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    fully poised to exploit the
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    opportunities that had presented
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    themselves with the recent discovery of
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    the
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    Americas. Despite this potential to
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    become a colonial power, however,
  • 00:01:54
    France's preliminary expeditions failed
  • 00:01:56
    to achieve anything of great
  • 00:01:58
    significance.
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    The first of these ventures was led by
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    Giovanni de Veratzano in 1524 which
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    mapped much of the Atlantic coast of
  • 00:02:07
    North America but failed to establish
  • 00:02:09
    any settlements whatsoever in the
  • 00:02:11
    process. The second expedition led by
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    Jacqu Cartier one decade later in 1534
  • 00:02:18
    saw the St. Lawrence River explored and
  • 00:02:20
    mapped by Europeans for the first time.
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    Although the surrounding territory was
  • 00:02:25
    claimed and christened as New France,
  • 00:02:27
    the small fort established by Cartier's
  • 00:02:29
    subsequent expedition to the area in
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    1541
  • 00:02:33
    ultimately came to nothing as it had to
  • 00:02:35
    be abandoned in less than 2 years.
  • 00:02:38
    France's subsequent colonization efforts
  • 00:02:40
    during the 16th century fared little
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    better for all the settlements were
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    short-lived and ended in failure.
  • 00:02:47
    Nicola Duran de Viligen's expedition to
  • 00:02:50
    Brazil in 1555 did initially establish a
  • 00:02:53
    settlement within the bounds of the
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    modern-day city of Rio de Janeiro.
  • 00:02:57
    France Antarctique as the colony became
  • 00:03:00
    known attracted a large number of French
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    Protestants called Hugenauts who were
  • 00:03:05
    looking to escape persecution back home.
  • 00:03:07
    The colony however would only last for
  • 00:03:10
    some 12 years before it was conquered by
  • 00:03:12
    the Catholic Portuguese in 1567.
  • 00:03:15
    Further Hugenor voyages to the new world
  • 00:03:18
    were championed by Gaspar de Kolini a
  • 00:03:20
    prominent leader of the Protestants who
  • 00:03:22
    was also the admiral of France. He
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    envisaged establishing colonies as safe
  • 00:03:27
    havens for his persecuted
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    co-religionists who could look to escape
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    the increasing sectarian tensions in the
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    country which by 1562 had boiled over
  • 00:03:37
    into outright conflict with the French
  • 00:03:39
    wars of religion. He therefore organized
  • 00:03:41
    two expeditions to what is now the
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    southeastern United States. The first to
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    be launched to what was then termed
  • 00:03:48
    French Florida was led by Jean Ribo in
  • 00:03:51
    that same year. But the small fort that
  • 00:03:53
    his crew were able to construct in South
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    Carolina called Charles Fort was quickly
  • 00:03:58
    abandoned within a year. The second
  • 00:04:00
    expedition was led by Renee Gulen de
  • 00:04:03
    Lodonier in 1564 and resulted in another
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    fortification called Fort Caroline being
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    built near what is now Jacksonville in
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    Florida. This too did not last long for
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    it was annihilated by Spanish forces in
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    the following year of
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    1565. In the wake of these persistent
  • 00:04:20
    failings, a lack of enthusiasm for
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    colonial enterprise took hold in France.
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    Combined with the country's ongoing
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    religious strife, this forced the
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    authorities to focus most of their
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    attention on domestic matters for the
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    remaining years of the 16th century. It
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    was only with the dawning of the 17th
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    century that France began to pursue a
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    more serious policy of colonization
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    after it was realized that within their
  • 00:04:46
    territorial claims of New France were a
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    magnitude of unexploited natural
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    resources. Besides the vast quantities
  • 00:04:53
    of fish in coastal waters, the interior
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    of the territory was abundant in
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    furbearing animals, especially the
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    beaver, which were extremely valuable to
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    traders back in Europe. Consequently,
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    the French crown decided to establish
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    trading posts in the region, like that
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    of Tadusac in 1599 and Port Royale in
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    Nova Scotia
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    in6005. Further exploration and
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    settlement of the St. Lawrence River
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    followed in the early years of the 1600s
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    with Samuel de Champlan founding the
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    city of Quebec
  • 00:05:25
    in6008 before venturing further
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    westwards into the Great Lakes region
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    and establishing a French presence there
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    through forging alliances with several
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    Native American tribes. Despite this
  • 00:05:37
    progress, however, the colony of New
  • 00:05:39
    France remained sparsely populated with
  • 00:05:41
    European settlers and lacked
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    development, especially when compared to
  • 00:05:45
    the English colonies situated on
  • 00:05:47
    America's eastern seabboard.
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    In response to this, Cardinal Rishelier,
  • 00:05:52
    the prominent adviser to King Louis I
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    13th, founded the company of 100
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    Associates, whose mission was to invest
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    in New France's colonial projects,
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    promising land parcels to settlers who
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    could transform the territory into a
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    thriving and prosperous colony. As a
  • 00:06:09
    result, new settlements quickly followed
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    at Green Bay, Tuarivier, and Montreal,
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    which were all founded between 1630 and
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    the early
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    1640s. Further development came in 1663
  • 00:06:22
    when New France was declared a royal
  • 00:06:24
    province by King Louis I 14th. He also
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    sent a regiment of troops to the colony
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    in 1665 to bolster security and later in
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    a direct effort to increase the region's
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    population. He sponsored the passage of
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    young single women to the territory who
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    could then marry the colonial settlers.
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    Between 1663 and
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    1672, some 800 women known to history as
  • 00:06:49
    the king's daughters traveled to New
  • 00:06:51
    France and helped to raise the
  • 00:06:53
    population from 3,200 to
  • 00:06:56
    6,700 within the same period. Although
  • 00:06:59
    these governmental efforts brought
  • 00:07:01
    progress, much of New France's real
  • 00:07:03
    expansion was owed to the ambitions of
  • 00:07:05
    the fur traders, who were continuously
  • 00:07:07
    venturing further and further westward
  • 00:07:10
    to seek out new sources of wealth to
  • 00:07:12
    underpin the colony's success. In 1673,
  • 00:07:16
    an expedition led by Louis Joliet and
  • 00:07:18
    Jacqu Marquette began to traverse the
  • 00:07:21
    Mississippi River. They reached as far
  • 00:07:23
    as the mouth of the Arkansas River
  • 00:07:25
    before turning back. having learned that
  • 00:07:27
    the great river ran towards the Gulf of
  • 00:07:29
    Mexico and not towards the Pacific Ocean
  • 00:07:32
    as they had presumed. This feat was
  • 00:07:34
    followed in 1682 by the expedition of
  • 00:07:37
    Renee Rober Cavalier and the Italian
  • 00:07:40
    Henri Deonti who traversed the entire
  • 00:07:43
    length of the Mississippi to its delta
  • 00:07:45
    where they then planted a cross and a
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    column to proclaim the whole area was
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    now a possession of King Louis I 14th.
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    French colonial activity was by no means
  • 00:07:54
    limited to North America as like many
  • 00:07:56
    European powers of the time, it sought
  • 00:07:59
    to exert its influence on a truly global
  • 00:08:01
    scale. Its presence in the Caribbean
  • 00:08:03
    began in 1625 when Pierre Belandes
  • 00:08:07
    Nambuk landed on St. Kits and agreed to
  • 00:08:10
    share the island with a small group of
  • 00:08:11
    English settlers who had arrived at the
  • 00:08:13
    same time. He returned to France the
  • 00:08:16
    following year and together with
  • 00:08:17
    Cardinal Rishlier organized the
  • 00:08:19
    formation of a trading company that
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    would eventually establish further
  • 00:08:23
    French settlements across the Caribbean.
  • 00:08:25
    By 1664 France had secured possession of
  • 00:08:29
    the islands of Guadaloop, Martineique,
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    Dominica, Granada, Marie Galant, St.
  • 00:08:35
    Bartelli, St. Qua, St. Lucia, St.
  • 00:08:38
    Martin, St. Vincent and Tobago, as well
  • 00:08:42
    as some partial control over the western
  • 00:08:44
    half of Hispanola, where French
  • 00:08:46
    buccaneers had carved out a
  • 00:08:47
    semi-independent colony called
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    Sandang. French traders and explorers
  • 00:08:52
    also ventured along the northern
  • 00:08:54
    coastline of South America during the
  • 00:08:56
    early 17th century. However, the threats
  • 00:08:59
    posed by the Dutch and the Portuguese in
  • 00:09:01
    the region had prevented any settlements
  • 00:09:03
    from taking hold. The French were
  • 00:09:06
    eventually able to carve out a territory
  • 00:09:07
    of their own just north of the equator
  • 00:09:10
    with what would eventually become French
  • 00:09:12
    Gana and its capital Cayenne being
  • 00:09:15
    founded in
  • 00:09:17
    1643. In addition to sending their own
  • 00:09:20
    settlers across the Atlantic to populate
  • 00:09:22
    the colonies of the new world, France
  • 00:09:24
    participated in the transatlantic slave
  • 00:09:26
    trade like many of its European
  • 00:09:28
    contemporaries. Countless enslaved
  • 00:09:31
    Africans were brought in to work as
  • 00:09:33
    laborers, primarily on the sugar
  • 00:09:35
    plantations of the Caribbean. To support
  • 00:09:38
    this practice, they also established a
  • 00:09:40
    handful of colonies and trading posts on
  • 00:09:42
    the West African coastline with a
  • 00:09:44
    presence in Sagal being founded around
  • 00:09:47
    1626. Similarly, France also gained
  • 00:09:50
    influence around the Indian Ocean with
  • 00:09:52
    Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands
  • 00:09:55
    seeing settlements by the mid640s.
  • 00:09:58
    The real prize in world trade, however,
  • 00:10:00
    came in the form of establishing trade
  • 00:10:02
    routes to Asia, which was home to the
  • 00:10:04
    richest markets in the world. The
  • 00:10:07
    English, Dutch, and Portuguese had
  • 00:10:09
    already pioneered lucrative connections
  • 00:10:11
    to the likes of India and Indonesia
  • 00:10:14
    through the formation of their own
  • 00:10:15
    respective East India
  • 00:10:17
    companies. Not wanting to be outdone,
  • 00:10:20
    King Henry IV established France's
  • 00:10:22
    equivalent in6004.
  • 00:10:24
    However, its initial expeditions pad in
  • 00:10:27
    comparison to their European
  • 00:10:28
    counterparts for much of the early 17th
  • 00:10:31
    century. They did nevertheless establish
  • 00:10:34
    fortified trading posts on the Indian
  • 00:10:36
    subcontinent with Shandanagore and
  • 00:10:38
    Pondisheree being founded in 1673 and
  • 00:10:42
    1674 respectively. As the 1600s drew to
  • 00:10:46
    a close, France had carved out an empire
  • 00:10:48
    stretching from the Rocky Mountains in
  • 00:10:50
    the west to the Bay of Bengal in the
  • 00:10:52
    east. However, the following century
  • 00:10:55
    would see much of this progress undone,
  • 00:10:57
    owing to a series of conflicts with
  • 00:10:59
    France's age-old enemy, Britain. The
  • 00:11:02
    first of these hostilities to break out
  • 00:11:04
    was the War of the Spanish Succession in
  • 00:11:06
    1701. Although it was primarily fought
  • 00:11:09
    in Europe, some action did take place in
  • 00:11:12
    the Americas and by its conclusion in
  • 00:11:14
    1714, Newfoundland, the Hudson Bay
  • 00:11:17
    region, and Aadia, part of modern-day
  • 00:11:20
    Nova Scotia, had been seeded to Britain,
  • 00:11:23
    who also gained permanent control of St.
  • 00:11:25
    Kits in the Caribbean. A little over 30
  • 00:11:28
    years later, the War of the Austrian
  • 00:11:30
    Succession broke out, which again saw
  • 00:11:32
    fighting in Europe and North America,
  • 00:11:34
    but also in India, where the interests
  • 00:11:36
    of the two colonial powers collided. The
  • 00:11:39
    end result by 1748 was largely
  • 00:11:42
    inconclusive with what little gains
  • 00:11:44
    either side had made being returned to
  • 00:11:46
    their previous owners. This left many
  • 00:11:49
    simmering tensions between France and
  • 00:11:51
    Britain, particularly where their
  • 00:11:53
    colonies bordered one another in North
  • 00:11:55
    America and India, which both saw a
  • 00:11:58
    continuation of small-scale fighting for
  • 00:12:00
    many years after the conflict had
  • 00:12:02
    officially ended.
  • 00:12:04
    One such episode took place in 1754
  • 00:12:07
    where in the backwoods of Pennsylvania,
  • 00:12:09
    a small company of British American
  • 00:12:11
    troops under the command of a young
  • 00:12:13
    lieutenant colonel named George
  • 00:12:15
    Washington engaged a party of French
  • 00:12:17
    Canadian soldiers who they believed were
  • 00:12:19
    encroaching on their territory. This
  • 00:12:22
    small skirmish snowballed into a wider
  • 00:12:24
    colonial conflict and eventually
  • 00:12:26
    culminated in the outbreak of the 7
  • 00:12:28
    years war which was fought not only in
  • 00:12:31
    America but also across Europe, Asia and
  • 00:12:34
    Africa. Despite some initial French
  • 00:12:36
    successes, Britain gained the upper hand
  • 00:12:39
    in the later stages of the conflict and
  • 00:12:41
    practically drove the French out of
  • 00:12:43
    North America entirely by conquering New
  • 00:12:45
    France as well as most of their
  • 00:12:47
    Caribbean islands. France also saw its
  • 00:12:50
    influence on the Indian subcontinent
  • 00:12:52
    greatly diminished, which all in all
  • 00:12:54
    brought to an end what has been termed
  • 00:12:56
    the first French colonial empire by
  • 00:12:59
    1763. Although France did retain some
  • 00:13:02
    colonies, the misfortunes for its empire
  • 00:13:04
    continued into the last decade of the
  • 00:13:06
    18th century, which were compounded by
  • 00:13:09
    the outbreak of the French Revolution in
  • 00:13:11
    1789.
  • 00:13:13
    Sandang, the richest and most important
  • 00:13:15
    of France's colonies, was ruptured by a
  • 00:13:18
    massive slave revolt in 1791. And
  • 00:13:20
    despite its repeated efforts to retake
  • 00:13:22
    the colony, France was forced to
  • 00:13:24
    capitulate and formally recognize the
  • 00:13:26
    newly formed and independent nation of
  • 00:13:28
    Haiti in
  • 00:13:30
    1804. Meanwhile, in North America,
  • 00:13:32
    France had managed to secretly negotiate
  • 00:13:35
    the recovery of the Louisiana territory
  • 00:13:37
    that it had lost in the aftermath of the
  • 00:13:39
    Seven Years War. Spain had ultimately
  • 00:13:42
    taken possession of the region and
  • 00:13:43
    agreed to exchange it for some parts of
  • 00:13:45
    Italy that were under French control in
  • 00:13:48
    1800. However, Napoleon Bonapart, who
  • 00:13:52
    was on his ascent to becoming the
  • 00:13:53
    emperor of France, saw little value in
  • 00:13:55
    the territory and agreed to sell it to
  • 00:13:57
    the United States for a sum of $15
  • 00:14:00
    million in 1803. This injection of cash
  • 00:14:03
    into the French treasury could not have
  • 00:14:05
    come at a better time as the Napoleonic
  • 00:14:08
    Wars broke out that same year.
  • 00:14:10
    Although France was able to conquer and
  • 00:14:12
    annex practically the entirety of the
  • 00:14:14
    European continent within just a few
  • 00:14:16
    years, the British once again
  • 00:14:18
    capitalized on exploiting their isolated
  • 00:14:20
    overseas colonies and captured most of
  • 00:14:22
    them in the process. Although these were
  • 00:14:25
    returned to French control at the end of
  • 00:14:27
    the war in
  • 00:14:28
    1815, St. Lucia, Tobago, the Seyells,
  • 00:14:32
    and Mauritius were not and were
  • 00:14:34
    consequently absorbed into the British
  • 00:14:36
    Empire.
  • 00:14:37
    This continuing reduction in the number
  • 00:14:39
    of French overseas possessions, coupled
  • 00:14:42
    with the restoration of the monarchy
  • 00:14:43
    under King Louis V 18th, spurred
  • 00:14:45
    somewhat of a desire to recover colonial
  • 00:14:48
    prestige in the following years of the
  • 00:14:49
    19th century. The second French colonial
  • 00:14:52
    empire began in 1830 with the invasion
  • 00:14:55
    of Algeria and was later formally
  • 00:14:57
    annexed in 1848, thus marking the
  • 00:15:00
    beginning of French influence in Africa
  • 00:15:02
    that would last for well over a century.
  • 00:15:05
    During this period known as the scramble
  • 00:15:07
    for Africa, many European colonial
  • 00:15:10
    powers including France extended their
  • 00:15:13
    influence and control over much of the
  • 00:15:15
    continent. Seneagal became a pivotal
  • 00:15:18
    administrative hub in French West
  • 00:15:19
    Africa. And in 1881, French hegemony was
  • 00:15:23
    extended over Tunisia, further
  • 00:15:25
    solidifying France's presence in the
  • 00:15:27
    north and safeguarding its vital
  • 00:15:29
    strategic
  • 00:15:30
    interests. Continuing into the late 19th
  • 00:15:32
    century, France intensified its colonial
  • 00:15:35
    ambitions with the formation of the
  • 00:15:37
    Federation of French West Africa in
  • 00:15:39
    1895, which centralized governance over
  • 00:15:42
    territories such as Mali, the Ivory
  • 00:15:44
    Coast, Guinea, and Bkina Faso. At the
  • 00:15:48
    same time, they acquired Madagascar and
  • 00:15:50
    Djibouti in 1896 before going on to form
  • 00:15:54
    French Equatorial Africa in 1904,
  • 00:15:56
    encompassing Gabon, Congo, Chad, and the
  • 00:15:59
    Central African Republic. These
  • 00:16:02
    acquisitions achieved France's strategic
  • 00:16:04
    objectives in the region by bringing
  • 00:16:06
    almost all the northern, western, and
  • 00:16:08
    central portions of the continent under
  • 00:16:09
    their control. A further addition to the
  • 00:16:12
    empire was made in 1912 when France
  • 00:16:15
    established a protectorate over Morocco
  • 00:16:17
    alongside Spain. French colonial
  • 00:16:20
    ambitions also extended into Southeast
  • 00:16:22
    Asia, partly to uphold its
  • 00:16:24
    self-persceived duty of protecting
  • 00:16:26
    Catholic missionaries in countries such
  • 00:16:28
    as Vietnam.
  • 00:16:29
    In 1858, the Vietnamese emperor tried to
  • 00:16:32
    expel the Catholics permanently from his
  • 00:16:34
    kingdom, but Napoleon III responded by
  • 00:16:37
    sending a naval force that captured
  • 00:16:39
    Daang and Saigon, ultimately resulting
  • 00:16:42
    in Cochinina becoming a French territory
  • 00:16:44
    by 1864.
  • 00:16:46
    Later, France would expand its colonial
  • 00:16:49
    holdings in the region to cover the
  • 00:16:51
    entire eastern portion of Indochina by
  • 00:16:54
    1887, whilst also gaining control over
  • 00:16:56
    some areas in Chinese cities like
  • 00:16:58
    Shanghai and Tanzhin. Meanwhile, French
  • 00:17:02
    exploration of the Pacific Ocean, which
  • 00:17:04
    had begun back in the 18th century,
  • 00:17:06
    culminated in the annexation of New
  • 00:17:08
    Calonia in 1853, as well as Tahiti and
  • 00:17:12
    its surrounding islands by
  • 00:17:14
    1880. As the 20th century began,
  • 00:17:17
    France's colonial empire stood as the
  • 00:17:19
    second largest on the planet, behind
  • 00:17:21
    only that of Britain's. With the
  • 00:17:24
    outbreak of the First World War in 1914,
  • 00:17:26
    it relied heavily on the resources of
  • 00:17:28
    its colonies, both in terms of manpower
  • 00:17:31
    and materials to support the war
  • 00:17:33
    effort. Early on in the conflict, France
  • 00:17:36
    began recruiting colonial soldiers known
  • 00:17:39
    as Tiraay, who played significant roles
  • 00:17:42
    in various campaigns.
  • 00:17:44
    These troops were drawn primarily from
  • 00:17:46
    North and West Africa as well as
  • 00:17:48
    Indo-China and were predominantly
  • 00:17:50
    deployed on the Western Front,
  • 00:17:52
    participating in major battles such as
  • 00:17:54
    the Battle of the Man, Verdun, and the
  • 00:17:56
    Som. After World War I, the French
  • 00:17:59
    Empire reached its zenith, covering some
  • 00:18:02
    5.2 million square miles. This was
  • 00:18:05
    helped by the disintegration of the
  • 00:18:07
    Ottoman Empire in the Middle East, which
  • 00:18:09
    allowed for the absorption of Lebanon
  • 00:18:11
    and Syria, as well as seeding the former
  • 00:18:14
    German possessions of Cameroon and Togo
  • 00:18:16
    in Africa. The beginning of the end for
  • 00:18:18
    the French colonial empire, however,
  • 00:18:20
    would be brought about by the Second
  • 00:18:22
    World War in
  • 00:18:23
    1939. With the surrender of France early
  • 00:18:26
    on in the conflict, the colonies became
  • 00:18:29
    divided between the Vichi regime and the
  • 00:18:31
    free French forces led by Sha de Gaul
  • 00:18:34
    who sought to continue the fight against
  • 00:18:36
    the Axis
  • 00:18:37
    powers. Like in the previous war, many
  • 00:18:40
    colonial troops were called up for
  • 00:18:42
    service and made enormous sacrifices for
  • 00:18:45
    the mother country. However, after peace
  • 00:18:48
    was restored in 1945, many within the
  • 00:18:51
    colonies believed that France would
  • 00:18:53
    offer them independence in gratitude for
  • 00:18:55
    their service. Charles de Gaul, on the
  • 00:18:58
    other hand, had no intention of
  • 00:19:00
    liberating the colonies and instead
  • 00:19:02
    assembled a conference of colonial
  • 00:19:03
    governors to announce plans for a
  • 00:19:06
    postwar union that would replace the
  • 00:19:08
    empire. These plans angered many
  • 00:19:10
    nationalist groups across the colonies
  • 00:19:12
    and almost immediately led to calls for
  • 00:19:15
    deolonization. Throughout the 1950s
  • 00:19:18
    and60s, many of France's colonies fought
  • 00:19:20
    wars of independence against their
  • 00:19:22
    colonial masters. These conflicts ranged
  • 00:19:25
    from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in
  • 00:19:28
    Indochina to Algeria and Madagascar in
  • 00:19:31
    Africa and were both costly and
  • 00:19:33
    politically damaging for France. After
  • 00:19:36
    eventually coming to terms with
  • 00:19:37
    deolonization being inevitable, France
  • 00:19:40
    began to engage in more peaceful
  • 00:19:41
    independence negotiations by the
  • 00:19:44
    1970s. Consequently, the 30 or so French
  • 00:19:47
    possessions that had existed in the
  • 00:19:49
    aftermath of World War II were reduced
  • 00:19:51
    to just 13 overseas regions and
  • 00:19:54
    territories.
  • 00:19:55
    Even though the physical boundaries of
  • 00:19:57
    the French Empire no longer exist, one
  • 00:19:59
    can still gain an understanding of how
  • 00:20:01
    truly immense it was by looking at a map
  • 00:20:04
    of where the French language continues
  • 00:20:05
    to be predominantly spoken today. From
  • 00:20:08
    Quebec and Louisiana in North America to
  • 00:20:11
    Vietnam and Polynesia in the Pacific,
  • 00:20:13
    there are over 238 million people around
  • 00:20:16
    the world today who speak French as
  • 00:20:18
    either a first or second language. This
  • 00:20:21
    stands as a true and worthy testament to
  • 00:20:24
    the spirit of those early French
  • 00:20:25
    adventurers who set off centuries ago to
  • 00:20:28
    explore lands
  • 00:20:30
    unknown. Just a reminder that this video
  • 00:20:33
    was kindly sponsored by My Heritage. And
  • 00:20:35
    if you would like to sign up for a
  • 00:20:37
    14-day free trial, then follow the link
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    in the video description or scan the QR
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    code on the screen.
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  • France
  • Colonial Empire
  • History
  • Decolonization
  • New France
  • Global Presence
  • Overseas Territories
  • French Language
  • French Expansion
  • Historical Conflicts