Resistance and Accommodation

Colonial subjects developed varied responses to French rule. Some collaborated, seeing opportunities for advancement. Others resisted violently. Most navigated between, adapting to colonial realities while maintaining cultural autonomy.

The 1907 Vietnamese tax revolt showed sophisticated resistance. Peasants didn't simply refuse payment; they petitioned using French legal language, organized demonstrations mimicking French political protests, and enlisted French-educated Vietnamese to articulate grievances. The colonial administration, expecting "primitive" violence, struggled against legally sophisticated opposition.

In Algeria, the Young Algerians movement demanded rights within the French system. These French-educated Muslims didn't seek independence but equality—citizenship with religious freedom. Their leader, Dr. Benthami, argued that France's own principles demanded indigenous rights. The movement's failure radicalized next generation toward independence.

Women's resistance often took cultural forms. In Tunisia, women maintained traditional crafts despite French promotion of European styles. In West Africa, women's secret societies preserved religious practices banned by Christian missionaries. In Indochina, mothers taught children Vietnamese history countering French school propaganda.

The colonial administration developed sophisticated divide-and-rule tactics. They promoted ethnic minorities against majorities, elevated collaborative elites, and created new tribal identities to fragment resistance. The policy succeeded temporarily but created ethnic tensions persisting today.