Greater France: A History of French Overseas Expansion

ISBN: 0333567404

Author: Robert Aldrich

Drawing on the most up-to-date research and theories, Greater France provides a comprehensive and lively account of France's imperial adventure, from the sands of the Sahara to the jungles of equatorial Africa, from the lush rice paddies of Indochina to the legendary isles of Polynesia. The book examines the French men and women involved in the enterprise - explorers, sailors, soldiers, priests and nuns, administrators and businessmen. It looks at the ideology of colonialism, assesses the uses and abuses to which the colonies were put, and surveys the place of the overseas empire in French political, economic and cultural life. The effects of French rule on the lives of indigenous populations receive due attention, and the growth of colonial nationalism and decolonisation form another chapter in the saga. The study concludes with an overview of the links which have remained between France and its former colonies.