How France Became France: Rediscovering Europe Series Author: [UK] Cecil Jenkins Publisher: Tianjin People's Publishing House

Introduction · · · · · ·
If we want to understand France today, we must understand its history. To understand the French people's concerns about the republic, we have to go back to the French Revolution; to understand France's advanced education system, we have to look to Napoleon; to appreciate the power of Racine's drama, we have to grasp the tensions and contradictions in Louis XIV's life; to understand the development of elegant French, we have to look to Gaul under the rule of the Roman Empire.

France’s gripping history, oscillating between revolution and monarchy, art and secularism, is not due to its temperamental character but to its geographical location surrounded by the European continent. As a result, France’s identity is determined by a complex series of relationships, from the Roman Empire to the Napoleonic Wars to Britain and the United States after World War II. Various conflicting relationships have shaped France today.