French overseas empire

French colonial empire
Empire colonial français
Colonial empire
1534–1980
Left: Royal Standard of France (before French Revolution) Right: Flag of the French Empire
All territories that were ever part of the French colonial empire   France   First colonial empire (after 1534)   Second colonial empire (after 1830)
Capital		Paris
Political structure		Colonial empire
History
•	Cartier claimed Gaspé Bay	1534
•	Sale of Louisiana	1803
•	Conquest of Algeria	1830–1852
•	French Union	1946
•	French Community	1958
•	Independence of Vanuatu	1980
Area
•	1670 (first colonial empire peak)	3,400,000 km2 (1,300,000 sq mi)
•	1920 (second colonial empire peak)	11,500,000 km2 (4,400,000 sq mi)
Currency		Franc and various other currencies
Succeeded by Overseas France
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The French colonial empire constituted the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "first colonial empire", that existed until 1814, by which time most of it had been lost, and the "second colonial empire", which began with the conquest of Algiers in 1830. The second empire came to an end after the loss of bitter wars in Vietnam (1954) and Algeria (1962), and relatively peaceful decolonizations elsewhere after 1960.

Competing with Spain, Portugal, the Dutch United Provinces and later England, France began to establish colonies in North America, the Caribbean and India in the 17th century. A series of wars with Great Britain and other European major powers during the 18th century and early 19th century resulted in France losing nearly all of its conquests. France rebuilt a new empire mostly after 1850, concentrating chiefly in Africa as well as Indochina and the South Pacific. Republicans, at first hostile to empire, only became supportive when Germany started to build her own colonial empire. As it developed, the new empire took on roles of trade with France, especially supplying raw materials and purchasing manufactured items as well as lending prestige to the motherland and spreading French civilization and language and the Catholic religion. It also provided manpower in the World Wars.

It became a moral mission to lift the world up to French standards by bringing Christianity and French culture. In 1884, the leading proponent of colonialism, Jules Ferry, declared; "The higher races have a right over the lower races, they have a duty to civilize the inferior races." Full citizenship rights – assimilation – were offered, although in reality "assimilation was always receding [and] the colonial populations treated like subjects not citizens." France sent small numbers of settlers to its empire, contrary to Great Britain and previously Spain and Portugal, with the only notable exception of Algeria, where the French settlers nonetheless always remained a small minority.