France–United States relations
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| During the interwar years, the two nations remained friendly. Beginning in the [[1920s]], U.S. intellectuals, painters, writers, and tourists were drawn to French [[art]], [[literature]], [[philosophy]], [[theatre]], [[film|cinema]], [[fashion]], [[wine]]s, and [[cuisine]]. A number of American artists, such as [[Josephine Baker]], had successes in France. Paris was also quite welcoming to [[Jazz music]] and black artists — since France, contrary to a significant part of the U.S. at the time, had no racial discrimination laws. U.S. [[novel]]ists such as [[William Faulkner]] and numerous filmmakers influenced French life. | During the interwar years, the two nations remained friendly. Beginning in the [[1920s]], U.S. intellectuals, painters, writers, and tourists were drawn to French [[art]], [[literature]], [[philosophy]], [[theatre]], [[film|cinema]], [[fashion]], [[wine]]s, and [[cuisine]]. A number of American artists, such as [[Josephine Baker]], had successes in France. Paris was also quite welcoming to [[Jazz music]] and black artists — since France, contrary to a significant part of the U.S. at the time, had no racial discrimination laws. U.S. [[novel]]ists such as [[William Faulkner]] and numerous filmmakers influenced French life. | ||
| ==Postwar years== | ==Postwar years== | ||
| - | [[Image:Degaulle kennedy.jpg|thumb|right|200px|President [[Charles de Gaulle|de Gaulle]] and President [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]] in [[Paris]].]] | ||
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| - | In the postwar years, both cooperation and discord persisted. The United States helped revive the French economy with the [[Marshall Plan]] and in [[1949]] again became a formal ally through the North Atlantic treaty. Though the United States openly disapproved of French efforts to regain control of colonies in Africa and Southeast Asia, it supported the French government in fighting the [[Communist]] uprising in [[French Indochina]]<ref>http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon/pent9.htm</ref>. However, in 1954, U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] declined French requests for a massive aerial strikes (which were to include nuclear weapons) to relieve besieged French forces at [[Battle of Dien Bien Phu|Dien Bien Phu]]<ref>http://www.afa.org/magazine/aug2004/0804dien.asp</ref>. | ||
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| - | Both countries opposed the [[Soviet Union]] in [[Cold War]] confrontations but went through another crisis in [[1956]]. When France, Britain, and [[Israel]] attacked [[Egypt]], which had recently nationalized the Suez Canal and shown signs of warming relations with the Soviet Union and China, Eisenhower forced them to withdraw. The [[Suez Crisis]] had a profound impact both on the UK (which subsequently aligned its foreign policy to that of the U.S.) and on France (which began to consider that the U.S. could not be counted upon as a reliable ally). | ||
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| While occasional tensions surfaced between the governments, the French public, except for the Communists, generally had a good opinion of the United States throughout the [[1950s]] and into the [[1960s]]. Despite some degree of cultural friction, the United States were seen as a benevolent giant, the land of modernity, and the French youth took a taste to things American such as [[chewing gum]], [[Coca-Cola]], and [[rock'n'roll]]. | While occasional tensions surfaced between the governments, the French public, except for the Communists, generally had a good opinion of the United States throughout the [[1950s]] and into the [[1960s]]. Despite some degree of cultural friction, the United States were seen as a benevolent giant, the land of modernity, and the French youth took a taste to things American such as [[chewing gum]], [[Coca-Cola]], and [[rock'n'roll]]. | ||
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| - | After [[Charles de Gaulle|Charles de Gaulle]] became president he clashed with the U.S. over France's building of its own [[nuclear weapons]] ''(see: [[Force de frappe]]'') and Britain's admission into the [[European Economic Community]]. These and other tensions led to de Gaulle's decision in 1966 to withdraw French forces from the integrated military structure of the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organisation]] (NATO) and to expel NATO from its headquarters at Fontainebleau. De Gaulle's foreign policy was centered around an attempt to limit the power and influence of both superpowers, which would increase France's international prestige in relative terms. De Gaulle hoped to move France from being a follower of the United States to a leading First World power with a large following among certain [[Non-Aligned Movement|non-aligned]] [[Third World]] countries. The nations de Gaulle considered potential participants in this grouping were those in France's traditional spheres of influence: [[Africa]] and the [[Middle East]]. {{seealso|Gaullism}} | ||
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| - | The two nations differed over the waging of the [[Vietnam War]], in part because French leaders were convinced that the United States could not win. The recent French experience with the [[Algerian War of Independence]] was that it was impossible, in the long run, for a democracy to impose by force a government over a foreign population without considerable manpower and probably the use of unacceptable methods such as [[torture]]. The French popular view of the United States worsened at the same period, as it became to be seen as an imperialist power. | ||
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| - | [[Image:Bush and Chirac.jpg|thumb|left|200px|U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] and French President [[Jacques Chirac]] during the [[27th G8 summit]], [[July 21]], [[2001]].]] | ||
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| - | Relations improved somewhat under de Gaulle's successors, but tensions reappeared intermittently. France, more strongly than any other nation, has seen the [[European Union]] as a method of counter-balancing American power, and thus works towards such ends as having the [[Euro]] challenge the preeminent position of the [[United States dollar]] in global trade and developing a European defense initiative as an alternative to [[NATO]]. Overall, the U.S. has much closer relations with the other large European powers, Great Britain and Germany. In the 1980s the two nations cooperated on some international matters but disagreed sharply on others, such as [[Operation El Dorado Canyon]] and the desirability of a [[German reunification|reunified Germany]]. | ||
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| - | [[France]], along with the [[People's Republic of China]] and [[Russia]], all permanent members of the Security Council, opposed the proposed new UN resolution authorizing the U.S. invasion of Iraq on [[March 11]], [[2003]]. [http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/11/sprj.irq.main/] French foreign minister [[Dominique de Villepin]] emerged as a prominent critic of the [[George W. Bush]] administration's policies pertaining to Iraq. Despite the recurring rifts, the often ambivalent relationship remained formally intact. | ||
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| - | Public attempts to boycott French goods in retaliation for perceived French "active hostility toward America"[http://webwonks.org/Extra/boycott/boycott.html] ultimately fizzled out having had little impact. The Iraq war, the attempted American boycott of French products, as well as the anti-French campaigns waged by some American commentators and politicians resulted in increased suspicion against the United States in the French population. Similar suspicions were felt in the [[United States]] toward the population and [[government]] of [[France]]: as of 2006, only one American in six considered France an ally of the United States.<ref>http://www.harpers.org/UnitedStates.html</ref> | ||
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| - | Recently, relations between the two nations have begun to normalize. A Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2006 revealed that 52% of Americans had a positive view of France, up from 46% in 2005.<ref>http://pewglobal.org/reports/pdf/252.pdf</ref> Other reports indicate Americans are moving not so much toward favorable views of France as toward ambivalence<ref>http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/National%20Polls/Allies%20and%20Enemies.htm</ref>, and that views toward France have stabilized roughly on par with views toward Russia and China.<ref>http://www.pollingreport.com/nations.htm</ref> Strong French and American diplomatic cooperation at the United Nations played an important role in the [[Cedar Revolution]], which saw the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. France and the United States also worked together (with some tensions) in crafting UN resolution 1701, intended to bring about a cease-fire in the [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict|2006 Israeli-Lebanese conflict]]. | ||
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| - | With France's election of a pro-American president, Nicolas Sarkozy, in May 2007, Franco-American relations appear to be improving. | ||
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Revision as of 18:48, 27 July 2007
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Interwar years
During the interwar years, the two nations remained friendly. Beginning in the 1920s, U.S. intellectuals, painters, writers, and tourists were drawn to French art, literature, philosophy, theatre, cinema, fashion, wines, and cuisine. A number of American artists, such as Josephine Baker, had successes in France. Paris was also quite welcoming to Jazz music and black artists — since France, contrary to a significant part of the U.S. at the time, had no racial discrimination laws. U.S. novelists such as William Faulkner and numerous filmmakers influenced French life.
Postwar years
While occasional tensions surfaced between the governments, the French public, except for the Communists, generally had a good opinion of the United States throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s. Despite some degree of cultural friction, the United States were seen as a benevolent giant, the land of modernity, and the French youth took a taste to things American such as chewing gum, Coca-Cola, and rock'n'roll.
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