Not that I care too much, but there is one historical inaccuracy which I find it very troubling, that is, blaming France about crimes, genocides, and economic exploitation of Africa, as well as blaming it for stopping this continent from economic prosperity.
I am not a fan of France, but the hatred for a nation should not make us distort the historical facts. Being a western European nation, there is no doubt that the French are responsible for crimes and economic exploitation of Africans, as it is true that France continues to be a privileged republic – its economy is one of the largest in the world.
However, based on the official history, in 1792 the French monarchy was abolished and King Louis XVI was executed in 1793. After the fall of the French Kingdom, France was declared a republic, a few years after the foundation of the American republic, and both were controlled by the British Empire.
Even if we agree that Napoleon Bonaparte was an independent leader, he was the last person to lead France politically and military. The officially history says that Bonaparte waged senseless wars all over Europe, and his reign brough no real success to the nation.
After having weakened the French nation, which had lost a great number of men in his wars – in fact, the Napoleonian army started to even enlist young teenagers, Napoleon Bonaparte was eventually defeated by the British Empire in the famous battle of Waterloo, 1815. He was captured and sent into exile in Saint Helena, a British territory, where he died in 1821.
After Napoleon Bonaparte, the Republic of France fell under the rule of British Empire. The history has not reported ever since any war of the French people against the British Empire to regain their real independence; therefore, France has been and continues to be under the British Royal Family’s rule.
As a result, blaming France for global crimes, genocides and economic exploitation in Africa while it has been more than two centuries since the French monarchy was abolished and the country has fallen under the British Empire is not only untrue, but it is very misleading.
The French people could have been used as mercenaries by the British Empire to fight in Africa or elsewhere under the command of the British Royal Family, but France as a political power has ceased to exist since at least 1815.
When the French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated, the French people were torn apart. They had no political power, no economic power, no leadership, and the people were exhausted from the senseless wars of Bonaparte while the British Empire was only becoming stronger and expanding its imperial power.
These are simple historical facts based on the official history and easily verifiable. Thus, blaming France for something which it was not capable of doing is not right. It looks to me that the whole purpose is to blame France in order to absolve the British Empire of its crimes.
Sabri Lushi
