The French and British rivalry

1. The French and British rivalry • They fought in Europe • They fought in Canada • They are still fighting today

2. They fought in Europe • Edward the Confessor had bequeathed the throne to Duke Williams prior to his death. To gain support for Williams, the British noblemen were promised land and material possessions. This is how the French citizen gained the throne of England. • The French would not allow any British chocolate on their shelves for 27 years due to the low fat content of their chocolate. The French had the support of Italy, Spain, but most important the chocolate makers of Belgium. Finally in the year 2000 a compromise was reached and the ban was lifted on British chocolate. • The French surrendered to the Germans in 1940. Churchill was concerned for the safety of England and tried to negotiate with the French. They refused the terms set out by Churchill. In turn, Churchill sent the British forces to Mers el Kebir ruthlessly annihilating the French. In the end, 1297 French were dead and the British had no losses.

3. They fought in Canada • The battle for the throne of Duke Williams spilled over the seas from Britain to Canada as new settlers arrived. The French continued their fight for the throne in Canada by raiding British settlements . • Not only did the French continued the fight by trying to persuade the Indians to side with them, they even started a trade rivalry on the fur trade with the British. A treaty was signed between the British and the French in 1748 but never even lasted 10 years. • 1754 renewed hostilities between the French and the British. Thus started a fight for possession of the north American continent between these two parties.

4. They are still fighting today • The French are fighting for survival of their French culture and feel they are a distinct society because of their language and their catholic religion. They feel in order to preserve this they need to be classified they need to be classified to be a distinct society. • The Meech Lake Accord was an agreement to grant Quebec special status within Canada. The reform party of Canada was offended by this as their vision of Canada was that each province was equal. • Next was the Quebec sovereignty movement. Quebec felt that as eighty percent of their population were French speaking, plus their catholic heritage they should be classed as their own society. They feel this is necessary to preserve their cultural. The lack of recognition and support from the other provinces against Quebec has opened the doors to Quebec’s fight for sovereignty in their eyes. Quebec feels justified in continuing fighting for a status of it’s own Nation. They feel they can be their own Nation with ties of their choosing to Canada. This infuriates most Canadian’s outside of Quebec which continues the fighting.

5. Sources and Questions? • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinct_society • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Sovereignism • http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2536600362.html • http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-and-england-1000-years-of-crosschannel-rivalry-494098.html • Page 163 of perspectives on globalization