7. France, from Thwarted Ambitions to the Challenges of Alterity

France was a great power, but that assertion should be explained through a story that must be grasped in all its complexity. First, France was a power at a time when that notion was still imbued with its full meaning. There is a certain synchrony between the central role played by this country since the end of the Middle Ages and the rise of the notion of power as an organizing principle of the international system. It is clear, however, that at the end of the First World War there was a break in France’s international relations and its place in the concert of nations. This final chapter will discuss the notions of power and grandeur, European leadership, Gaullism, postcolonialism and the dilemmas and options of a mid-level power. The author then explores France’s turnaround and neoconservatism, before questioning the country’s capacity to step outside of itself and look beyond November 13th.