Military history of France: Encyclopedia II - Military history of France - Modern Period

Military history of France - Modern Period

After the exile of Napoleon, France was the beneficiary of a long period of European peace. This allowed it to focus on the expansion of its overseas empire, particularly in Africa and Asia. These areas of the world had been generally resisted European colonialism until the start of the 19th century, but advances in weapons technology allowed small numbers of European troops to overcome much larger bodies of native warriors.

However, after the start of the Franco-Prussian War, essentially a dispute over areas of France with large German speaking minorities, the French military suffered. Though able to hold steadfastly against Germany in World War I, a variety of factors (ranging from technology to population growth) crippled France's effort in the 1940 Battle of France. In addition (and in many ways as a result), by 1960, it had lost its influence over all of its empire, suffering defeats in Indochina and Algeria. In addition, the military had lost status with the population, first because of the widely publicized Dreyfus Affair, and later because of the collaboration of the Vichy government with the occupying forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Despite having one of the largest standing armies in Europe, and the money to support it, France consistently lost out on the development of new military technologies and new tactics. For example, Charles De Gaulle had foreseen the importance of tank divisions after World War I, but his theories were widely ignored in France, only to be taken up by the Germans who used them to such effect during the Blitzkrieg.

Historically, the military had sided with the monarchy and the Catholic Church, but their struggles over the next ninety years eventually allowed the Republican and secular forces that had first come to the fore during the French Revolution to eventually cement their hold over French politics. The last attempt by the military to set its own policy came during the Algerian War of Independence when French forces in Algeria essentially took the suppression of rebellious Algerians into their own hands against the directions of then President De Gaulle. Eventually, De Gaulle distanced himself from the military and appealed to public support, eventually resulting in the establishment of the Fifth Republic. However, this also had the effect of lessening France's military standing in the world to the point where De Gaulle often believed that France had little control over its own military destiny. Today, despite having one of the largest and best equipped military forces in the world, and being a nuclear power, France's role is seen in terms of peacekeeping and minor disputes.

• Crimean War
  • Battle of Alma
• Franco-Prussian War
  • Battle of Worth
  • Battle of Gravelotte
  • Battle of Sedan
  • Siege of Metz
  • Siege of Paris
• World War I
  • Western Front (WWI)
  • First Battle of the Marne
  • Battle of the Somme
  • Battle of Passchendaele
• Russian Civil War
  • French Expeditonary Corps to White Russians
• Polish-Soviet War
  • French Military Mission to Poland
• World War II
  • Battle of France
  • Western Front (WWII)
  • Liberation of Paris
• Force de frappe
• France and weapons of mass destruction
• European Security and Defence Policy

See also: France in modern times, Modern warfare

Military history of France - French Colonial Empire

• French intervention in Mexico
  • Battle of Puebla
• French and Indian War
  • Battle of the Plains of Abraham
• First Indochina War
  • Battle of Dien Bien Phu
• Algerian War of Independence
• recent actions in Africa

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Modern Period", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki