French Conquest Research Articles

On the Eve of Colonialism: North Africa before the French Conquest, 1790-1830

On the Eve of Colonialism: North Africa before the French Conquest, 1790-1830

Les plaisirs du collectionneur : capitalisme fiscal et chefs indigènes en Algérie (1840-1860)

Le Moyen-Orient et l'Afrique du Nord représentent des cas classiques de régions où, avant l'époque contemporaine, les classes dirigeantes préféraient bâtir leur fortune sur les impôts, la rente foncière ou le commerce plutôt que sur la production agricole. L'Algérie ne fait pas exception. Tirer profit du dry-farming était trop risqué dans un climat à pluviométrie irrégulière et l'agriculture irriguée avait des rendements si élevés qu'il n'était pas évident que la mise en valeur directe par la classe dirigeante fut plus avantageuse que la taxation des producteurs indépendants. Avec la colonisation française au xixe siècle, l'Algérie devient un pays où des entrepreneurs ruraux font leur apparition. Mais, comme on sait, ils constituent un groupe sous l'égide de l'élément capitaliste de la classe dirigeante française plutôt qu'une couche supérieure indigène.

The USSR and Vietnam: Into the Swamp

A TOP VIETNAMESE DIPLOMAT recently lunched in Paris with a Swedish colleague and in the course of the meal was asked whether he was worried about the danger inherent in his country's present intimate embrace of the USSR. Reportedly he replied: survived French conquest. We survived American hostility. And we can survive Russian friendship. The story may be apocryphal-most such neat stories dealing with Vietnam are-but it does illustrate the paradoxical nature of the subject of this article: current Soviet-Vietnamese relations.

Lucette Valensi. <italic>On the Eve of Colonialism: North Africa Before the French Conquest</italic>. Translated by Kenneth J. Perkins. New York: Africana Publishing Company. 1977. Pp. xxix, 154. Cloth $15.50, paper $8.50

Journal Article Lucette Valensi. On the Eve of Colonialism: North Africa Before the French Conquest. Translated by Kenneth J. Perkins. New York: Africana Publishing Company. 1977. Pp. xxix, 154. Cloth $15.50, paper $8.50 Get access Valensi Lucette. On the Eve of Colonialism: North Africa Before the French Conquest. Translated by Perkins Kenneth J.. New York: Africana Publishing Company. 1977. Pp. xxix, 154. Cloth $15.50, paper $8.50. Richard Roughton Richard Roughton University of Rhode Island Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Historical Review, Volume 84, Issue 2, April 1979, Page 513, https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/84.2.513 Published: 01 April 1979

On the Eve of Colonialism: North Africa before the French Conquest, 1970-1830

On the Eve of Colonialism: North Africa before the French Conquest, 1970-1830

On the Eve of Colonialism: North Africa before the French Conquest, 1790-1830

On the Eve of Colonialism: North Africa before the French Conquest, 1790-1830

Archives et tradition orale. À propos d'une enquête sur la politique du royaume de Danhomé à la fin du 19e siècle.

L. M. Garcia—Archives and Oral Tradition : Danhome's Policy at the End of the 19th Century. There are some places and periods in Africa where historians are afforded a possi-bility to compare African/oral data with European/written documents. Such is the case for the events which led to the French conquest of Danhome and the appointment of king Agoli-Agbo (the former prince Gucili) to replace Gbehanzin. Dahomeyan informants bring in a description of atmosphere and feelings on the African side rather than brand new facts. They are chiefly useful in throwing light on the intrigues and disputes within Gbehanzin's court, which facilitated the French conquest.

Le docteur Colin, l'or du Bambouk et la « colonisation moderne ».

H. Brunschwig — Dr. Paul Colin, the Bambuk Gold and 'Modem Colonisation'. In his quest for the Bambuk gold, Dr. Paul Colin did not look only for his personal enrichment. He was a believer in the doctrine of 'modem colonisation' developed by the imperialist theoreticians of the 'eighties. This doctrine, however, addressed itself to investors and specialists—engineers, agronomists, businessmen—rather than to common people lacking both in capital and technical training. The collaboration, from 1854 to 1865, between Faidherbe, Maurel and Prom, and the Senegalese traders was quite exceptional — even so the governor had kept a monopoly of political action. Dr. Colin failed because he was not supported by metropolitan business circles, because he had no commercial ability, and because he took political initiatives. His analysis of precolonial trade in the Western Sudan, the opposition he met with from military and administrative omcers indifferent to economie development, remind one of the case of O. Pastre de Sanderval, Paul Soleillet, D. de Rivoyre and other explorers who finally were not integrated into the administration. This cornes as a confirmation of A. S. Kanya-Forstner's thesis on the French conquest of the Western Sudan, to the effect that up to 1914, French imperialism, as against its Belgian, German, and, to a degree, British counterparts, was politically rather than economically motivated.

The Administration of the Duke of Grafton and the French Invasion of Corsica

THE REMARKABLE SUCCESS James Boswell had in arousing aristocratic sympathy throughout Europe for General Paoli's efforts to establish an independent Corsican state is well known, as is Lord Holland's expostulation: Foolish as we are, we cannot be so foolish as to go to war, because Mr. Boswell has been to Corsica, and yet, believe me, no better reason can be given for siding with the vile inhabitants of one of the vilest islands in the world.' The French conquest and annexation of Corsica, however, was a serious defeat to Britain. After the Seven Years' War Britain was diplomatically isolated and the defense of her interests was dependent upon the maintenance of the power and influence of her preeminent naval forces. French annexation of Corsica impaired the effectiveness of British sea power in the Mediterranean, and the Duc de Choiseul's successful occupation of the Mediterranean island despite Britain's naval preeminence reduced the influence of British sea power throughout Europe. The failure of the government of the Duke of Grafton to prevent the defeat was the result of poor statesmanship compounded by political bickering. Partly as a result of political ineptitude and partly by accident, the Duke of Grafton had brought together in brief coalition an uncongenial group of men of faction. Out of loyalty to William Pitt who he thought should be brought back to power, Grafton had helped to bring about the collapse of the Rockingham government in 1766 by resigning from his office of Secretary of State. Pitt had then agreed to form a government, but he had insisted that Grafton have the

The Changing Resources of Sedentary Communities in Air, Southern Sahara

ASTORAL nomadism in the Sahara appears in the long run to lack a future, since it is unable to produce commodities that can command an assured market, at rising or stable prices, to sustain an increase in living standards. The adoption of a sedentary way of life seems to be a precondition for development. In Air, a region in the northern part of the Republic of Niger, the settlement of nomads has been officially encouraged since 1922, but it is complicated by a long-standing duality between the nomadic, pure-bred Tuareg camel herders and the formerly servile sedentary cultivators of mixed descent. Sedentarization emphasizes the economic future of agriculture, which is severely limited by natural conditions. Furthermore, the French conquest, half a century of colonial rule, and the economic changes in the twentieth century have initiated a process of continuing geographical change. It is in the light of these changes that an evaluation of the resources of the sedentary communities of Air must be made, with particular reference to the ecology of agricultural land use.1

The Mandarin Road to Old Hué: Narratives of Anglo-Vietnamese Diplomacy from the Seventeenth Century to the Eve of the French Conquest. By Alistair Lamb. Hamden: Archon Books, 1970. 349 pp. Illustrations, Bibliography, Index. $14.50.

The Mandarin Road to Old Hué: Narratives of Anglo-Vietnamese Diplomacy from the Seventeenth Century to the Eve of the French Conquest. By Alistair Lamb. Hamden: Archon Books, 1970. 349 pp. Illustrations, Bibliography, Index. $14.50. - Volume 31 Issue 1

A class analysis of the bureaucratic process in Mali∗

Summary The impact of colonization had different results according to the native social structures which it met and according to the degree of economic transformation which it brought about. In this process, the African countries were an appendage of the Western capitalist economies, and the social forces which were stirred up in Africa were thus the dependent and terminal part of European society. Such an incomplete and dependent process of social development was bound to give aberrant results in terms of class analysis. Mali is a case in point. A native aristocratic and slave society was developing when this process was halted by the French conquest. The lack of industrial development which followed did not permit the emergence of capitalist classes, while administrative growth gave rise to a comparatively large bureaucracy. African trade remained in the hands of a Moslem and illiterate native bourgeoisie. The colonial crisis abruptly brought these forces into a competition for power in which the outcom...

The Social Structure of Modern Bamako

Opening ParagraphAccording to a partial census taken in 1960, Bamako city has about 130,000 inhabitants. Small by Western standards, it is still by far the largest city in Mali. At the time of the French conquest Bamako had only between 800 and 1,000 inhabitants; it was the capital of a Bambara chiefdom, grouping about thirty villages on the north bank of the Niger river, with a total of about 5,000 people. The ruling dynasty was that of the Niaré, who, according to their traditions, came from the Kingi eleven generations ago (between 1640 and 1700). For defence against the neighbours and armed slave-raiders fortifications were built around the town and a permanent army of so-fa (horsemen) was raised. Soon after its foundation Bamako attracted Moslem Moors from Twat who settled as marabouts and merchants under the protection of the Niaré's warriors. Among them, the Twati (later to be called Touré) and the Dravé became, alongside and sometimes in competition with the Niaré, the leading families.

New Perspectives in the Study of North Africa

Certainlymore books have been written on what was once French North Africa than on most regions of the continent. Yet of the volumes written prior to the independence of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, how few are now worth reading! This judgement is not retrospective; the evidence was at hand long ago.1That admirable compendium of scholarly accomplishments, Jean Alazardet al.,Histoire et historiens de l'Algerie(Paris, Alcan, 1931), tells us that, 100 years after the French conquest of that country, there was little interest in studying the living society of the Muslim majority except as it posed legal, administrative or philological problems. After World War II, the President of the Algiers Court of Appeal, Georges Surdon, noted inLa France en Afrique du nord(Algiers, Edition Alger republicain, 1946) that ‘all the books which have been devoted to the study of the implantation of the French in Algeria have given a fanciful or insufficient sketch of the native population’. Yet one of the basic arguments of his book is that since Arab authority is traditionally based on the tribe rather than on any geographical unit, Arab nationalism in North Africa stems from invalid assumptions. If one wants to learn about the problems of contemporary North Africans, less than a score of works published in French or English before Libya gained independence in 1951, Morocco and Tunisia in 1956, and Algeria in 1962 still remain essential reading.2

GENERAL PAOLI IN ENGLAND

The experiment in democracy which Filipp' Antonio Pasquale de' Paoli made in Corsica during his administration of the island from 1755–69, deservedly excited the admiration of the civilized world. When one considers the rough and turbulent people with whom he had to deal, his achievement was indeed remarkable. But it is not my present purpose to discuss Paoli at the height of his career, at the head of his countrymen in his own island. More than half of his long life was spent in exile: for the greater part of his boyhood and youth he remained in Naples with his father, Giacinto; and after the French conquest of Corsica in 1769, he lived (except for one brief but eventful interval) upwards of thirty years in England. This article confines itself to his relations with the British Government and his manner of living during his long sojourn in this country.

GENERAL PAOLI IN ENGLAND

The experiment in democracy which Filipp' Antonio Pasquale de' Paoli made in Corsica during his administration of the island from 1755–69, deservedly excited the admiration of the civilized world. When one considers the rough and turbulent people with whom he had to deal, his achievement was indeed remarkable. But it is not my present purpose to discuss Paoli at the height of his career, at the head of his countrymen in his own island. More than half of his long life was spent in exile: for the greater part of his boyhood and youth he remained in Naples with his father, Giacinto; and after the French conquest of Corsica in 1769, he lived (except for one brief but eventful interval) upwards of thirty years in England. This article confines itself to his relations with the British Government and his manner of living during his long sojourn in this country.

Mineral Resources of Indo-China

centuries from surface deposits in IndoChina. Evidences left by ancient workings have frequently proved valuable in rediscovering deposits. Although production from early exploitations was never large and was essentially abandoned when the French occupied the country, knowledge of existence of the mines was one of the principal reasons for French conquest of Tonkin. The modern mineral industry, which has been developed since 1885 by French capital, management, and technicians, is limited largely to Tonkin (Figure 1) because of accessibility of the coal deposits, better transportation facilities, and available labor supply. Value of minerals has risen from a total of about $240,000 in 1900 to $5,300,000 for coal and $3,000,000for industrial minerals in 1939.

The French Conquest of the Canaries in 1402-6, and the Authority for the Same

The French Conquest of the Canaries in 1402-6, and the Authority for the Same