Resentment antifrançais in the United States of America

The Ressentiment antifrançais with the United States of America or francophobia states-unienne watch of the movements in the American Opinion against the France, and accompanies certain periods by tension in the Histoire of the Franco-American relations.

Before the Second world war

The francophobia with the the United States after 1945 opposite a preceding francophile feeling . From the American patriotic point of view, the France first was combined American revolutionists. When the Marquis of Fayette traversed the United States in 1824 - 1825, it was accommodated as hero as a first American celebrity, and of many news localities were baptized Lafayette , Fayette or Fayetteville . With the arrival of the emigrants Irish in the Years 1840 and the rise of a antibritannic popular culture, France became a point of rallying, though ambivalent, because its republicanism was tarnished. The cultivated American classes embraced the French styles and luxury items after the American Civil War: they studied the Art schools, the French Cuisine reigned on the large American tables, and the women of the higher class followed the fashion Paris ienne. After the First World War in which took part of the American volunteers as of the beginning, and the troops American as from 1917 (“Lafayette here us are! ” - General Pershing), and which was for France the occasion to discover the American black jazz (orchestras of the regiments " colorés" - Jim Europe), a generation of American rich person were expatrièrent to lead a life of Bohemia to Paris.

The Crise of 1929 applied a brake at the international lifestyle and a change of the French political climate during the Années 1930 caused the return of many politically sensitive Americans.

After the Second world war

The collapse of the France in 1940 under the German attack deeply shocked francophile American , who had through the popular culture an idyllic image of Paris: The Last Time I Saw Paris (“the last time that I saw Paris”), a success of Tony Martin in 1941, and an American in Paris (1951) nourished a sentimental imagery of Paris, which reflected the Années 1920 however rather than the Années 1930.

Shortly after the end of the Second world war, the relations between the the United States and France became bitter, the United States criticized the French colonial activities during the Guerre of Algeria and was opposed to France (and the the United Kingdom) at the time of the Crise of Suez (1956). The United States, by their history traditionally opposed to colonialism, pushed France to give up its colonial empire, in particular in Algeria.

The Franco-American relations were strongly degraded under Charles de Gaulle (which had been already opposed to Franklin Roosevelt during the war), which refused that France is treated like a partner weaker than the United States and tried to make counterweight with the American influence in Europe and in certain parts of the Tiers-monde. This included/understood in particular the request for an equal statute in the NATO, whose France left the Integrated Command when this statute was refused. France moved also away from Israel, with which it had close links, and became more sensitive to the Palestinian cause with the the Middle East. Israel then approached the United States.

The De Gaulle government started to criticize the Guerre of the Vietnam (American), who was rather unpopular in France. The opinions on the war of Vietnam remain however divided even in France. By commenting on the Vietnamese episode, Jean-François Revel affirms that “by deploying this Antiaméricanisme, inspired or rather multiplied by ten by the war of Vietnam, Europeans and especially the French, in a way more remarkably unjustified, forgot or pretended to forget that the American war of Vietnam was the direct kid of the European colonial expansion in general and of the French war of Indo-China in particular. It is because France plugs had refused any decolonization after 1945; it is because it had been misled in a remote and interminable war during which it had beseeched and sometimes obtained the American assistance many times besides; it is because beaten France with Diên Biên Phu had had to sign in 1954 the disastrous Accords of Geneva, delivering the north of the Vietnam to a Communist regime which had at once hastened to violate the aforementioned agreements; it is thus undoubtedly following a long succession of political errors and military failures of the France that the United States was brought later to intervene. ”

At the time of the support of De Gaulle for the independence of the Quebec, some thought that it was more intended to cause the United States than with really encouraging Québécois independence. France also tried to develop friendlier relations with the countries Communiste S, of which the the USSR. France continued a program of nuclear armament national and developed its military capacities to break its dependence with respect to the United States. During this period, the Franco-American relations were with lowest and of the American commentators showed France not to more belong to the “western powers”.

The relations improved a little under Georges Pompidou, but of the intermittent tensions remained. France, more than any other nation, saw the European Union like a counterweight with the American power, and worked in particular with the development of a currency which can counterbalance the dollar in the world Commerce. France also devoted many efforts to the conservation of its bonds with the West Africa. The US government remained rather cold towards France and continued relations definitely closer with States like the United Kingdom, with which it shares the network of listening “Level” which spy, inter alia, France.

Certain Americans see France of an evil eye while others, francophile , hold the culture and the French history in high regard.

More recently, from the tensions fed with the business from the quotas on American films in France (Accord Blum-Byrnes), the opposition to the French nuclear tests in the Pacific, the divergent visions on the finality of European construction (Europe power perceived like a countervailing power) in particular concerning European defense.

War of Iraq

In 2003, the francophobia returned in the foreground to the the United States when the France refused to approve the plan of invasion of the Iraq presented by the United States to the Safety advice of the United Nations. Whereas other nations were also openly opposed to the plan (in particular the Germany, the Russia and the China), France essuya of particularly wild criticisms.

France was shown of primary education anti-Americanism, to defend with hypocrisy its oil interests in Iraq (the same charges were carried against Russia and Germany, but with much less force), and hypocritically to send a military force in Ivory Coast during the Iraqi crisis. Arguments all the more discussed since France maintained these ten last years only the tiny relations with Iraq, it was only the 13th economic partner in 2002, and within the framework of the program of UNO “Pétrole against food”, the United States bought 50% of Iraqi oil whereas France only 8%. With regard to the French military forces present in Ivory Coast, their presence was legalized afterwards. Indeed, the Safety advice set up mission ONUCI (resolution 1528) the February 27th 2004 whereas the Opération Unicorn was created in September 2002.

The France and the Russia, both permanent members of Safety advice of the United Nations, were opposed the March 11th 2003 to a new resolution authorizing the invasion of the Iraq. As other nations were also openly opposed to an invasion, many are those which wondered why France was thus proposed. Many thinks that comes owing to the fact that it is permanent member of the Safety advice and threatened to put his veto. Others consider that it is about a media handling made possible by the concentration of the American Média S, some particularly related to the political administration with the capacity, and that France was used like Scapegoat to avoid mentioning and discussing all the other opposite countries. It was as advanced as the primary education charge of anti-Americanism was used to elude a debate on the reasons called upon by France, namely the fact that France considered that weapons of massive destruction of Iraq, pled by the US government, did not present a clear and immediate danger and that the war could only destabilize the the Middle East without bringing long-term solution, while supporting there the emergence of a face of opposition panarabe vis-a-vis such an interventionism deprived of any legal legitimacy.

Diplomatic tensions

The last goes back to it on the diplomatic level proceeded the day before the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and was amplified as from the end of the year 2002, which translates the remarks of Condoleeza Rice: " we will punish France, will be unaware of Germany, and will forgive in Russia for their restive postures with those of the falcons which took their take-off at the Blanche" House; ; it was then not charges some like Secretary of State.

Donald Rumsfeld manifestly qualified the France and the Germany of “old Europe” while describing as “new Europe” the many Eastern European countries which supported the American position - in order to obtain a support against the Russian power. This awoke fears that the widening of the European Union is used by the United States to divide the European States.

The French Minister for the Foreign affairs, at the time, Dominique de Villepin was distinguished in criticism (often qualified blazing) from the American position on Iraq.

Cultural tensions

During the winter 2002 - 2003, the désobligeante expression “ cheese eating surrender monkeys ” (“monkeys capitulards bouffeurs of cheese”), coming from a televised episode of the Simpson in 1995 to name the French, became current in the circles of the capacity with Washington. The contributor Jonah Goldberg of the National magazine Review (Ndt: important preserving American magazine) claims to be at the origin of this fashion. Many commentators and American politicians, of which Andy Rooney on the television program 60 Minutes (Ndt: diffused the Sunday at 7 p.m., since 1968), treated France of ungrateful because of its opposition to the American foreign politics whereas American soldiers had fought in France against the Nazi Germany during the Second world war. Humorous stickers for cars were produced; their text was: Iraq first, France next! ( Iraq initially, France then! ) and First Iraq, then Chirac! ( Initially Iraq, then Chirac! ).

The March 11th 2003, the menus of the cafeterias of the three buildings of office of the Chambre of the representatives of the United States changed the name of the french fries ( fried Frenchwomen , is the chips) into Freedom fries ( fried freedom ) in a culinary reproach addressed to France, supporting the American popular opinion on the French opposition to the diplomatic position of the United States. The french toast ( French toast , is the Pain lost) were also renamed freedom toast ( toasts of freedom ). Europeans reacted by treating this behavior of “gamineries”.

In a similar spirit, during the First World War, the term sauerkraut (term of German origin for the Sauerkraut) at summer renamed liberty cabbage ( cabbage of freedom ), the French toast ( French toasts ) replaced the German toast ( German toasts ), and the frankfurter (of Frankfurt) became the hot dog , in the menus then the common language. Only this last transformation perduré.

The deputy Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, only the Cajun of the room of the representatives, withdrew the French-speaking pages of the official section of sound Web site because of the feeling antifrançais.

It was also reported that many Americans bought a great quantity of Vin French to pour it in the gutter instead of drinking. Much, even among the protesters, noted that no matter what wine is made, to buy it always brought back money to those which had produced it. From this point of view, that constitutes a antiprotestation, although nonintentional.

Boycott

According to president de IC& With Inc, a company which does not matter that French products, the request for its products fell from 50 to 40 % compared to its level of February 2003. The MEDEF reported that “the companies suffer today from the disagreements which occurred between the States on the Iraqi question.”

Sociological data

This francophobia is also explained by a sociological reason; the absence in the United States of a powerful French diaspora able to defend the image of France, contrary to the Germans or the Italians who emigrated in great number in America.

However, francophobia in the United States seems to decrease: indeed, in a survey carried out in May 2007 for SCUMS and French-American Foundation France, 48% of the Americans recognize France like a partner and 41% have sympathy towards France. According to the same survey, 9% of the Americans test antipathy towards France (whereas 15% of the French do not like the United States).

Stereotypes and prejudices on the French

At the time of the relations sometimes tended between the France and the the United States, certain Americans, whose leader-writers and politicians, use jokes antifrançaises, often very wild.

Prejudices on the French weaknesses

Many jokes suggest that the French are unable of military success and prompt to collaborate with the terrorist invader and the . The exploited prejudices are in particular:

France is unable to gain a war. (Ndt: reference to the wars according to the First World War)
France is a loose country preferring to go rather than to fight. (Ndt: reference to the defeat of 1940)
the French are ungrateful towards the Americans. (Ndt: reference to the Libération)
France rejected NATO to approach the Warsaw Pact.

president Chirac had very cordial relations with Saddam Hussein .

On France

The feeling antifrançais Americans often amounts considering the lifestyle, the government, or the French culture as being significantly lower than those of the United States. The frequent prejudices are in particular:

France is a country Socialiste and is not able to manage its economy. (Ndt: In the United States, socialist evokes the Cold war and has a connotation extremist; the " gauche" American door a different meaning: liberal for the associates with the democratic party).
France is racist and anti-semite. (Ndt: references to the National front and made various anti-semites)
France does not recognize the civic rights. (Ndt: references except cultural, censure of Yahoo!, the list of the sects, Law on secularity (insofar as it relates to the religious signs at the school)).
France is a country of arrogant intellectuals and civils servant powerful .

On the French

The prejudices also carry on the French themselves and are often inspired by critics dating from immediate after war and the lifestyle of the artistic and philosophical elite. However, as in the Belgian jokes or Swiss S, the only role of certain stereotypes is to be used as support with the jokes, without any relationship with reality being asserted. The exploited stereotypes are in particular:

the French are arrogant and claim to give lessons.
the French are lazy and spend their time to discuss in coffees and smoking.
the French men are often homosexual or bisexual. (Ndt: the laws of the American States against the homosexual Sodomy or the were declared anticonstitutional in 2003 by the Supreme court of the United States)
the French are emotive and blazing.
the French are impolite fellows and disrespectful towards the tourists.
the French are dirty and seldom wash themselves.
the French have feeling reluctant culinary tastes. (Ndt: references to the Frog S, some Cheese S, the Meat of horse, the Oyster S, the Snail S, etc)
the French are unpleasant excellent seducers and cooks .

See too

External bonds

in French

Francophobia (Le Monde)
Synthesis by the embassy of France in the United States - March 7th at April 13rd, 2003
Blog de Superfrenchie, French in the USA

in English

“Stop Bashing Website France”
“Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys”
Jonah Goldberg column
Satirical website one anti-French feeling
Congressman Billy Tauzin' S website
Send Back the Statue off Liberty! - Satirical site mocking anti-French American feelings
old Europe and powerful America - French language personal essay written by one “Jean Pierre Greenhouses”
Leading “The Truth Behind the French Opposition to America”
'' Public Law 107-209 '' Conferring honorary citizenship off the United States posthumously one the Marquis de Lafayette 6/8/02 Signed by President George W. Bush
Pro-war, pro-Bush, pro-boycott off French products site.
112 Influenzas butt the French - Published in 1945 by the US Occupation Forces

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