Episode 215 - Empire of Necessity

For France, lacking in both population count, natural resources, and industry when compared to their hostile neighbor, the colonies were indispensable. But the lackluster engagement from the Popular Front government would help drive local leaders from forming partnerships with their imperial overlords, as even a supposedly friendly government ruled with a clumsy hand. So while the major components of the empire were productive, the people actually living there began envisioning futures separate from Paris. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988
2. Roberts, AD The Cambridge History of Africa: Volume 7 from 1905 to 1940 Cambridge University Press 1986
3. Conklin, Alice L et al France and Its Empire Since 1870 Oxford University Press 2011
4. Thomas, Martin The French Empire at War, 1940-45 Manchester University Press 1998
5. Brocheux, Pierre and Daniel Hemery Indochina: An Ambiguous Colonization 1858-1954 University of California Press 2009

 

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