When Charles de Gaulle declared that “it is because we are no longer a great power that we need a grand policy,” he neatly summarized France’s predicament on the world scene. In this compact and engaging history, author Frédéric Bozo deftly recounts France’s efforts to reconcile its proud history and global ambitions with a realistic appraisal of its capabilities, from the aftermath of World War II to the present. He provides insightful analysis of the nation’s triumphs and setbacks through the years of decolonization, Cold War maneuvering, and European unification, as well as the more contemporary challenges posed by an increasingly multipolar and interconnected world.

When Charles de Gaulle declared that “it is because we are no longer a great power that we need a grand policy,” he neatly summarized France’s predicament on the world scene. In this compact and engaging history, author Frédéric Bozo deftly recounts France’s efforts to reconcile its proud history and global ambitions with a realistic appraisal of its capabilities, from the aftermath of World War II to the present. He provides insightful analysis of the nation’s triumphs and setbacks through the years of decolonization, Cold War maneuvering, and European unification, as well as the more contemporary challenges posed by an increasingly multipolar and interconnected world.

List of Figures

Introduction

PART I: THE ERA OF FRUSTRATION (1945-1958)

Chapter 1. France’s Difficult Entry Into the Cold War
Chapter 2. French Powerlessness

PART II: CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO (1958-1969)

Chapter 3. Re-establishing France’s ‘Rank’
Chapter 4. Challenging the Established Order
Chapter 5. The Apogee of de Gaulle’s Grand Policy

PART III: MANAGING DE GUALLE'S LEGACY (1969-1981)

Chapter 6. Opting for Continuity
Chapter 7. The Education of a President

PART IV: THE END OF THE COLD WAR (1981-1995)

Chapter 8. New Cold War, New Détente
Chapter 9. The End of ‘Yalta’

PART V: FRANCE AND GLOBALIZATION (1995-2015)

Chapter 10. In Search of a Multipolar World

Bibliography