I was rather bored in school earlier today and was thinking about history. I remembered Algeria was divided into departments and could elect representatives to the Senate, and was a part of Metropolitan France. This started me wondering; what if all French colonies had been divided into departments, been able to choose senators and vote for the President?
Could this be done and what would the impact be? Would it fuel nuttery of the 'not real Frenchmen' variety from Le Pen? Would all parts of this new France have equal representation in the Senate? What would the international consequences be
PS: This is my first thread, so if I have got anything wrong, please let me know.
The nuttery would still be there. France is historically a country receiving migrants from everywhere due to its geographical position at the crossroads of Europe - I’m barely third generation myself. For the senate thing, I guess you don’t really know how the chambers work in France. The lower chamber, the most powerful, is made of MP elected by the people while the Senate, the upper chamber, is elected by elected people like mayors, city councillors, MPs, etc., and isn’t doesn’t have the last word in the legislative system.
For whether it could have been done? It was the ultimate goal, actually. Unlike the British take on colonies, the French tended to push towards convergence, integration, the transition from Colonial Law to French Civil Law, the formation of local elites who could, if they culturally integrated into the French system, be part of the system just as well as a Paris-born French. The ideal example of it is Félix Éboué, Guyanese, black, and colonial governor of almost half of French Africa, who joined de Gaulle very early and one of the first Compagnons de la Libération, the rarest of decorations for the most important people of the Free French.
But it was too little, too late. A strong program of integration, more people like Éboué pushing for strong programs of the integration of locals and give living examples of success for that system? Maybe it might have worked? After the World Wars? France was too weakened, the Soviets and US would push towards decolonization. The despicable actions of de Gaulle towards colonial troops did not help either, of course.
I’d say you would need a PoD during the 19th century, probably the absence of World Wars, to give such a scenario a chance of working. Low, but existing.