Liberté, Egalité, Colonialisme

THERE is nothing quite like a stupid and unnecessary law to raise the ideological temperature. On February 23 of this year, the French National Assembly passed such a law, requiring school teachers of history to emphasize the positive role of French colonialism overseas, particularly in North Africa. There were immediate anti-French demonstrations in Algeria and the Antilles. The French minister of the interior, Nicolas Sarkozy, felt obliged to cancel an official visit to the French West Indies, legally part of France rather than a colonial possession, at the beginning of this month because of the ideological furor that the law caused and continues to cause.

President Chirac has tried to calm tempers, both inside the country and out, by stating that it is not for the law to write history but for historians to do so. Unfortunately, he has not consistently been of this opinion: For example, much to the annoyance of Turkey, he signed a law in 2001 stating that France publicly recognized the genocide of the Armenians in 1915. It is difficult to believe that this was merely a disinterested and belated recognition of the truth, and had nothing whatever to do with Turkey’s application to join the European Union, which France opposes.

About the Author

Anthony Daniels

Mr. Daniels, a retired doctor who worked in several parts of the world, is the author of Mass Listeria, a book about health scares.

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THERE is nothing quite like a stupid and unnecessary law to raise the ideological temperature. On February 23 of this year, the French National Assembly passed such a law, requiring school teachers of history to emphasize the positive role of French colonialism overseas, particularly in North Africa. There were immediate anti-French demonstrations in Algeria and the Antilles. The French minister of the interior, Nicolas Sarkozy, felt obliged to cancel an official visit to the French West Indies, legally part of France rather than a colonial possession, at the beginning of this month because of the ideological furor that the law caused and continues to cause.

President Chirac has tried to calm tempers, both inside the country and out, by stating that it is not for the law to write history but for historians to do so. Unfortunately, he has not consistently been of this opinion: For example, much to the annoyance of Turkey, he signed a law in 2001 stating that France publicly recognized the genocide of the Armenians in 1915. It is difficult to believe that this was merely a disinterested and belated recognition of the truth, and had nothing whatever to do with Turkey’s application to join the European Union, which France opposes.