Le Monde
Francophone (the French-speaking World)
Why do people speak
French all over the world?
Answer: Colonialism
After watching this presentation,
students will be able to:
Explain why French is spoken all
over the world
Define colonization
Identify the causes & effects of
colonialism
Construct a timeline of French
colonialism
What is colonization?
One country takes control of another
country
The colonizer (or ruling country) takes
resources from the colony
The colonizer often pushes its culture
and language on the colony
Why do countries COLONIZE
other countries?
To become richer
To gain power
To increase opportunities to trade
To expand
Because they think that their culture
and way of life is better
French Colonialism
France had many colonies from the
1600s-1960s.
In the 1800s and 1900s, France was the
second biggest colonizer in the world
(after England).
Colonialism
French Colonialism
Initially French colonialism was driven
more by the state, the church , and the
military, rather than by business
interests.
The ideological legitimization for French
colonialism was mission civilisatrice
(similar to “white man’s burden”): to
spread French culture, language, and
religion throughout the colonies.
French Colonialism
Later, it became a scramble for power,
with all the major European powers
competing for more colonies. More
colonies meant more resources. More
resources meant more economic gain.
French Colonialism
The first phase of French colonial efforts
was focused in Canada, the Louisiana
Territory, the Caribbean, and west Africa.
During the second phase of French
colonialism (1870 to World War II), the
empire grew to include most of north
Africa and Indochina.
Partition
of Africa
What were the effects of
colonialism?
Exploitation of resources
Change of culture
Political upheavals