Assimilation (French colonialism)

[4] Until the abolishing of the colonial rule, Africa had endured many oppressions in relation to religion, tradition, customs and culture.

The creation of modern France through expansion goes back to the establishment of a small kingdom in the area around Paris in the late 10th century and was not completed until the corporation of Nice and Savoy in 1860.

A long experience of turning peasants and culturally-exogenous provincials into Frenchmen[5] seemed to raise the possibility that the same could be done for the colonised peoples of Africa and Asia.

He believed that if universal laws continued, the residents of the colonies would eventually have the power to control the local governments, which would have an adverse effect on "cheap slave labour".

[9] There were many problems that emerged during colonisation, but those faced with the dilemmas thought assimilation sounded simple and attainable and wanted to spread French culture.

The purpose of the theory of assimilation was to turn African natives into Frenchmen by educating them in the language and culture and making them equal French citizens.

The residents of the Four Communes were referred as "originaires"[11] and had been exposed to assimilation for so long that they had become a "typical French citizen... he was expected to be everything except in the color of his skin, a Frenchman.

[14] During his time as deputy, he proposed a resolution that would allow the residents of the Four Communes all the rights of French citizens, which included being able to serve in the army.