from becoming the "battleground of Europe"?
One thing I've noticed about France's population is that it's quite small for a nation its size (it's a bit larger than Germany, and even post-WWII Germany has a larger population), so I assume that all the wars (Hundred Years' War - WWII) took their toll.
...oooh.
When I saw "prevent France" I thought "Yes! Yes indeed! Let's prevent France!" What a disappointment.