Franco-British Relations and Rivalries: One-upmanship, Schadenfreude and the Weight of History

Abstract

The relations between Britain and France (taken here at the inter-state and governmental level for the most part) have consistently been unable to break free of previous conflicts and rivalries, however distant they may have been. Memories of these, even long after the event, have frequently been key points of reference and have served to weigh down on the diplomatic, as well as the popular, relations between the two countries. This is reinforced by their deep-rooted rivalry, often relating to the two countries’ shared past, that has often blocked the efforts to work effectively together, no matter how deep their common interests. The concept of schadenfreude seems particularly relevant here to the record of Franco-British relations.These questions are studied with particular reference to two broad periods allowing an analysis of the evolution of Franco-British relations in the light of these concepts. Firstly, the post-second world war period up to the end of the 1960s. These years were particularly difficult ones for Franco-British relations and also saw an important shift in the balance between the two countries. Against the background of European construction, and still very much in the wake of the events of the war which did so much (and which still do so much today) to influence how the two countries saw one another, both British and French leaders made constant references to the record, recent and more distant, of Franco-British relations. Secondly, the paper addresses the more recent ways in which references to past rivalries have continued to have a negative impact on Franco-British relations, up to and including the debate around Brexit.