The Colonial Empire and Its Peoples

France's empire stretched across continents, encompassing 10.5 million square kilometers and 55 million subjects. Algeria, conquered in 1830, was considered an integral part of France, its northern departments sending deputies to Paris while its Muslim majority remained excluded from citizenship. In French West Africa, Indochina, Madagascar, and the Pacific territories, a small cadre of French administrators ruled vast populations through a combination of military force, economic exploitation, and cultural imperialism disguised as the "civilizing mission."

Yet this empire was not merely a passive possession. In Dakar, Saigon, and Algiers, educated indigenous elites began questioning French rule. Blaise Diagne, born in Senegal, would soon become the first African elected to the French parliament. In Algeria, the Young Algerians movement sought equality within the French system, while in Indochina, nascent nationalist sentiments stirred among students returning from French universities.

Captain Henri Moreau, stationed in Morocco, observed in his diary: "We speak of bringing civilization, yet I see only extraction—phosphates, crops, and men for our factories. The locals watch us with eyes that promise a future reckoning."