French India: Cultural Effects on France?

It wouldn't work like that. British India started out like that as well. It shifted over to full control when there were no longer any European competitors and rebellions started. The same thing would happen if France achieved universal domination over India instead.

OTOH if Britain and France both continue to control large parts of India at the same time, the French might keep a lighter hand, but then so might the British.
France did have their whole mission civilisatrice which in our timeline was most prominent in French West Africa. I can remember a television programme from a little while back about the locals having to learn all sorts of weird facts and figures about France if they wanted to advance. They might go for the light handed approach or they could go in completely the other direction and offer advancement and citizenship for those that were willing to assimilate French culture. It could make an interesting contrast between lighter hand British India and heavier handed French India, especially after they both gain independence.
 

Thande

Donor
France did have their whole mission civilisatrice which in our timeline was most prominent in French West Africa. I can remember a television programme from a little while back about the locals having to learn all sorts of weird facts and figures about France if they wanted to advance. They might go for the light handed approach or they could go in completely the other direction and offer advancement and citizenship for those that were willing to assimilate French culture. It could make an interesting contrast between lighter hand British India and heavier handed French India, especially after they both gain independence.

I'm not sure if the French would have done that in India. A part of it is the issue I mentioned before about the Revolution--if in a TL France gets all or part of India, it's probably rich and powerful enough that the Revolution (though in some form probably inevitable) will be changed beyond all recognition, so the character of the resulting state will be different. Secondly, India I think was viewed by Europe as more of an old, respected civilisation so I suspect any moves on that score would be rather more circumspect--and, as other people have mentioned, the French-focused part of India was more dependent on princely states, so the French would still have the attitude of not wanting to piss them off with 'civilising' ideas.
 
I'm not sure if the French would have done that in India. A part of it is the issue I mentioned before about the Revolution--if in a TL France gets all or part of India, it's probably rich and powerful enough that the Revolution (though in some form probably inevitable) will be changed beyond all recognition, so the character of the resulting state will be different. Secondly, India I think was viewed by Europe as more of an old, respected civilisation so I suspect any moves on that score would be rather more circumspect--and, as other people have mentioned, the French-focused part of India was more dependent on princely states, so the French would still have the attitude of not wanting to piss them off with 'civilising' ideas.
Again, the Revolution could very well occur to a similar rhythm as per OTL. The money will certainly go into the hands of the aristocracy, not the nouveau riche or the masses, and they will likely want more influence over French decisions...especially concerning l'Inde.
 
Again, the Revolution could very well occur to a similar rhythm as per OTL. The money will certainly go into the hands of the aristocracy, not the nouveau riche or the masses, and they will likely want more influence over French decisions...especially concerning l'Inde.
I said in a later post that we were to assume no revolution.
 
I think India would have an interesting influence on French Painting. After all it was Vincent van Gogh who got excited to paint sunflowers after seeing a Japanese print, but what would it look like if he got excited by Indian prints?

Another eastern influence that would be changed is the kind of Egyptophilia that took hold in france in the 19th century. The french might still need to secure Egypt, to protect their route to India; but it might be that the Sari effects French dressmaking rather than egyptian dresses.

Also there would definitely be a whole generation of French officers that would have served in India, probably like the British it would be a prestigous posting for the upper class. But unlike the British, I think that those officers would be much more liberal if not radical. Even without a French Revolution, you have a history of men like Lafayette who set the example for liberal soldiers.
 
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You mean curry in wine?:eek:

Vindaloo, is an example of Curry and wine married together. It's usually wine in the form of vinegar but it still counts. It also is one of the most popular anglo-indian curries even though it comes from Portuguese Goa.
 
I have heard somewhere that tea wasn't a common indian drink until the british came and brought it from china, but I may be wrong, BTW.

It existed before, but it's true it take gigantic proportions only in the late XIX. And some Indian regions saw tee more like a medecine than an actual beverage.

But I think chai (spiced tea) is still older than the East India Company.

I think it depends what are the northern borders of French India. That said a French India would likely use these lands to hijack the Chinese quasi-monopoly on tea.

South Indians drink more coffee than tea in any case.
 
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