Glorious Past Quotes
This quotation illustrates the difference between France proper and “Greater France” including its colonies without which it was perceived that France could not be a great power with its limited land mass and low fertility rate. This is why De Gaulle and other French leader fought so hard to maintain control over their colonies. Ironically, after France lost her colonies, she maintained her role as a major nation by virtue of its technology, industry and culture. A nuclear power was a power by definition, and France has had exceptional scientific and technological prowess. However, for many French leaders like De Gaulle, this was not enough to be a major power. They yearn for the colonial days where the French language was the most important in the world, and the French military was on a par with the other great power.
