How impressive is French history?

[Joe McCarthy]

We all know the drill. Rate French history from 1-10.

[Joe McCarthy]

This highlights the high quality of French literature:


"I cannot bear so base a method which your fashionable people generally affect; there is nothing I detest so much as the contortions of these great time-and-lip servers, these affable dispensers of meaningless embraces, these obliging utterers of empty words, who view every one in civilities, and treat the man of worth and the fop alike. What good does it do if a man heaps endearments on you, vows that he is your friend, that he believes in you, is full of zeal for you, esteems and loves you, and lauds you to the skies, when he rushes to do the same to the first rapscallion he meets? No, no, no heart with the least self-respect cares for esteem so prostituted; he will hardly relish it, even when openly expressed, when he finds that he shares it with the whole universe. Preference must be based on esteem, and to esteem every one is to esteem no one. Since you abandon yourself to the vices of the times, zounds! you are not the man for me. I decline this over-complaisant kindness, which uses no discrimination. I like to be distinguished; and, to cut the matter short, the friend of all mankind is no friend of mine." -- Jean-Baptiste Poquelin de Moliere, The Misanthrope

[gandalf]

We were precursors for
the middle age civilisation in Europe ,
the republicanism in Europe ,
and soon for a rebirth of Europe
out of the decadence of mondialism .

France is often ahead .

But I wouln'd say we made no mistakes !

[Joe McCarthy]

the republicanism in Europe ,


The French Revolution has a very mixed legacy. That and my Anglo prudery caused me to give France a lower rating than I could have.

I consider myself a Francophile though, and one thing that rates highly in my mind is France's decisive role in the American Revolution.

[Ouistreham]

Honestly, French history is nothing special.

It's just a larger than average European country that played a role dimensioned according to its relative size. With something special due to the fact that it's an unikely combination of a Germanic national principle based on a largely Celtic ethnicity speaking an idiosyncratic Romance language.

This being said, France gave birth to three innovations that changed the world for ever:

. Gothic Art: for the first time, European esthetics stopped endlessly replicating shapes and motives inherited from Ancient Greek-Roman civilisation. This was an unprecedented revolution.

. Polyphonic music: for the first time, changing tonality in the course of a musical piece became acceptable. Prior to this there were luths and organs which made polyphony technically feasible, but no one up that that point had got the idea that switching from a chord to another would produce music. Maybe the greatest philosophical and mental revolution ever.

. The invention of the Holy Grail legend.

Please take notice that all three innovations took place at the same time (12th century) and that they must be intercorrelated in some way.