Page 134 - Age of Peace Goodword.indd

De Gaulleism Shows the Way

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hen European colonialism began to extend in all
Wdirections in the sixteenth century, the British came to
the countries of Asia, while the French made inroads deep
into African countries. In 1830 the French seized Algiers,
thus beginning the colonization of French North Africa. The
French established a large number of colonies in Africa from
the seventeenth century onwards and slowly their rule came
to extend over about fifteen countries.

This kind of French expansion was bound to produce keen
political resentment among the African people. As a result,
many freedom movements were initiated in Africa to free it
from foreign rule. The French had over and over again to deploy
its armies in Africa to bring these resistance movements under
control. The military budget spent in maintaining the colonies
became unbearable for France, and consequently, its progress
and development in other areas were seriously affected. Thus,
France lagged behind other nations in the nuclear race.
When Charles De Gaulle became the President of France in
1958, the deterioration of the economic situation had reached
alarming levels. De Gaulle’s concern was not to maintain the
national pride of France, but rather to give new life to the
country. When he thought about the issue objectively, he came
to the conclusion that, in order to do so, it was imperative
to grant independence to the French colonies in Africa. He
then entered into negotiations with the African leaders and,
within a short period, he had granted freedom to the African
countries under French rule.

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