Abstract:

French Colonialism bears traces of the national character of France. France, in terms of belonging to the Latin race, brought the Roman's belief of assimilation to the political scene of the 19th century and raised this understanding to the level of an official doctrine. Assimilation is based on the understanding that superior societies have the right to dominate and instruct lower societies. In other words, the conquered have to adopt the institutions and traditions of the conquerors. The ideas that emerged the French Revolution, which were kneaded with the intellectual achievements of the Enlightenment period, were considered by the French as the ideas that all humanity needed, and it was thought that these superior cultural and institutional achievements would benefit all humanity. The understanding that superior societies have a responsibility to lower societies, which is expressed in the understanding of "white man's burden" regarding British colonialism, seems to be embodied under the name of "civilization mission" for the French. However, the use of local elements by the British and the flexible and commercial profit-oriented perspectives of the French, the strict and centralized assimilation idea of the French reveals the differences between the two methods. Despite all its deadlocks and criticism by colonial theorists, assimilation continued to be the official colonial doctrine until the colonies were transformed into Francophone societies.

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