French colonial empire - Quiz
French colonial empire
  • 1. What was the total population of the French colonial empire outside of Metropolitan France in 1936?
A) 16.1 million
B) 66.4 million
C) 23.2 million
D) 69.1 million
  • 2. Which region had the largest population in the French colonial empire in 1936?
A) North Africa
B) East and South-East Asia
C) Middle East
D) Sub-Saharan Africa
  • 3. What was the population of French Indochina in 1936?
A) 7.2 million
B) 14.9 million
C) 6.3 million
D) 23.0 million
  • 4. In 1936, how many non-assimilated natives lived in the French colonial empire?
A) 16.1 million
B) 66.4 million
C) 2.7 million
D) 69.1 million
  • 5. Where did the majority of Europeans living in the French colonial empire reside in 1936?
A) The South Pacific
B) Sub-Saharan Africa
C) The Caribbean
D) North Africa
  • 6. Which of the following was NOT one of the Four Communes of Senegal mentioned in the text?
A) Dakar
B) Rufisque
C) Saint-Louis
D) Timbuktu
  • 7. What was the primary reason for France's relatively low levels of emigration compared to other European nations?
A) Slow natural population growth
B) High levels of industrialization
C) High mortality rates in colonies
D) Strict bans on Huguenot travel
  • 8. Which religious group was banned from settling in New France?
A) Huguenots
B) Jesuits
C) Franciscans
D) Roman Catholics
  • 9. Who founded Quebec City in 1608?
A) Champlain
B) Bill Marshall
C) Dessalines
D) Pol Pot
  • 10. What was the population of New France in 1763?
A) 30,000
B) 12,000
C) 40,000
D) 65,000
  • 11. In what year did French Huguenots settle in South Africa?
A) 1787
B) 1763
C) 1608
D) 1687
  • 12. What was the primary cause for the failure of the 1763 French colonization effort in Guiana?
A) Lack of agricultural supplies
B) Conflict with British settlers
C) Resistance from the indigenous population
D) Tropical diseases and climate
  • 13. How many French Algerians left Algeria in 1962?
A) 30,000
B) 900,000
C) 20,000
D) 1.6 million
  • 14. What are the people of French ancestry in New Caledonia known as?
A) Métis
B) Beke
C) Zoreilles
D) Caldoches
  • 15. Which group of people are the French-descended residents of the French West Indies called?
A) Cajuns
B) Caldoches
C) Petits-blancs
D) Beke
  • 16. How many white colonists were in Saint-Domingue in 1787?
A) 30,000
B) 14,000
C) 40,000
D) 65,000
  • 17. What percentage of the population on Guadeloupe was white at the end of the 17th century?
A) 2,000 out of 40,000
B) 9,000 out of 40,000
C) 26,000 out of 40,000
D) 30,000 out of 40,000
  • 18. What major political event triggered the departure of 30,000 French colons from Cambodia in the 1970s?
A) Khmer Rouge regime
B) Quiet Revolution
C) World War II
D) Independence of Algeria
  • 19. After the downfall of Napoleon III, what word did many writers prefer over 'empire'?
A) Colonies
B) Territory
C) Republic
D) Dependency
  • 20. What was the name of the chief colonial pressure group in 1914?
A) Union française
B) Parti colonial
C) Ligue coloniale
D) Front colonial
  • 21. What was the 'mission civilisatrice'?
A) A military campaign to conquer new lands
B) A trade agreement between colonies
C) A religious missionary movement
D) The duty to bring civilization to benighted peoples
  • 22. Who was the black Senegalese man elected as a deputy in 1914?
A) David P. Forsythe
B) Arthur de Gobineau
C) Blaise Diagne
D) Napoleon III
  • 23. Which author justified colonialism using the false claim that people of color were biologically inferior?
A) Arthur de Gobineau
B) Napoleon III
C) David P. Forsythe
D) Blaise Diagne
  • 24. Until what year was a strict separation between 'sujets français' and 'citoyens français' maintained?
A) 1946
B) 1939
C) 1914
D) 1905
  • 25. According to a 1927 treatise, how was the granting of French citizenship to natives characterized?
A) As a mandatory duty for all
B) As a privilege, not a right
C) As a purely economic incentive
D) As an automatic birthright
  • 26. In the Protectorate of Morocco, what was a primary goal of French urban planning and education?
A) To grant citizenship to all
B) To prevent cultural mixing
C) To force immediate assimilation
D) To expand industrial production
  • 27. In what year did the French abolish slavery in most of French West Africa?
A) 1946
B) 1905
C) 1896
D) 1911
  • 28. How did Napoleon III change the size of the French overseas empire?
A) He tripled its area.
B) He doubled its area.
C) He maintained the existing size.
D) He reduced it by half.
  • 29. What was the result of the modernization of the French Navy under Napoleon III?
A) It became the second most powerful in the world.
B) It was dismantled after the Crimean War.
C) It focused solely on trade routes.
D) It became the most powerful in the world.
  • 30. Which of these was NOT a colonial unit created or used by Napoleon III?
A) Zouaves
B) Algerian sharpshooters
C) Chasseurs d'Afrique
D) The Royal Marines
  • 31. In what year was the Foreign Legion founded?
A) 1863
B) 1852
C) 1870
D) 1831
  • 32. Which group had been active in Vietnam since the mid-17th century?
A) Paris Foreign Missions Society
B) The Ministry of the Colonies
C) The Jesuit Order
D) The French Foreign Legion
  • 33. How many troops did Spain provide for the 1858 expedition to Vietnam?
A) One thousand
B) Fourteen thousand
C) Three thousand
D) Five thousand
  • 34. Which port city did French forces capture in September 1858?
A) Hue
B) Da Nang
C) Hanoi
D) Saigon
  • 35. When did all of Lower Cochinchina become a French territory?
A) 1858
B) 1883
C) 1863
D) 1867
  • 36. In what year was French Indochina formed?
A) 1887
B) 1883
C) 1900
D) 1867
  • 37. When was the French Concession in Shanghai established?
A) 1900
B) 1860
C) 1849
D) 1887
  • 38. Which French Governor-General led French successes in India?
A) Louis de Frontenac
B) Joseph François Dupleix
C) Napoleon Bonaparte
D) Marshal Saxe
  • 39. To which country was Louisiana ceded after the Seven Years' War?
A) Spain
B) Britain
C) The Netherlands
D) Portugal
  • 40. What was the primary reason France ceded Louisiana to Spain?
A) A desire to stop expansion
B) A trade agreement for sugar
C) Pressure from the American colonies
D) Payment for Spain's late entrance into the war
  • 41. Which French Marshal was mentioned for his successes in Europe during the War of the Austrian Succession?
A) Napoleon
B) Lafayette
C) Marshal Saxe
D) Joseph François Dupleix
  • 42. What did Britain annex from Spain, leading to Spain receiving compensation in the form of French territory?
A) Cuba
B) Florida
C) Mexico
D) Puerto Rico
  • 43. In which modern-day country did initial French colonization in Africa begin?
A) Senegal
B) Morocco
C) Tunisia
D) Egypt
  • 44. In what year was Saint-Louis founded?
A) 1626
B) 1659
C) 1721
D) 1677
  • 45. Which resource was notably produced for export in Senegal?
A) Ground nuts
B) Tobacco
C) Corn
D) Gold
  • 46. When did the French first settle on Reunion Island?
A) 1735
B) 1665
C) 1642
D) 1721
  • 47. When did the French East India Company introduce the slave trade to Reunion Island?
A) 1750s
B) 1770s
C) 1730s
D) 1640s
  • 48. Which crop was introduced to Reunion Island by the French East India Company?
A) Coffee
B) Indigo
C) Wheat
D) Cotton
  • 49. What percentage of the enslaved population on the Mascarene Islands died due to famine and disease between 1725 and 1737?
A) 20%
B) 2%
C) 5%
D) 10%
  • 50. Which island did France take control of in 1735?
A) Madagascar
B) Rodrigues
C) Gorée
D) Seychelles
  • 51. Which French King encouraged enterprises to establish trade with Africa and Asia in 1598?
A) Henry IV
B) Louis XIV
C) Francis I
D) Charles IX
  • 52. In what year was the association of Saint-Malo, Laval, and Vitré formed to trade with the Moluccas and Japan?
A) 1604
B) 1616
C) 1600
D) 1598
  • 53. What was the name of the ship wrecked in the Maldives?
A) Laval
B) Croissant
C) Corbin
D) Saint-Malo
  • 54. By whom was the ship carrying François Martin de Vitré captured at Cape Finisterre?
A) The Spanish
B) The Dutch
C) The Portuguese
D) The English
  • 55. How long did the letters patent issued on 1 June 1604 grant exclusive rights for Asian trade?
A) 5 years
B) 10 years
C) 15 years
D) 20 years
  • 56. Who informed King Henry IV about his circumnavigation of the globe in 1609?
A) Pierre-Olivier Malherbe
B) The merchants of Dieppe
C) François Martin de Vitré
D) François Pyrard de Laval
  • 57. With which historical figure did Pierre-Olivier Malherbe have an encounter during his travels?
A) Akbar
B) Henry IV
C) François Martin de Vitré
D) The Dutch Governor
  • 58. In what year was the French colony at Chandernagore established?
A) 1673
B) 1723
C) 1674
D) 1725
  • 59. In what year was the French East India Company established to compete for trade in the east?
A) 1664
B) 1616
C) 1604
D) 1600
  • 60. Which of these Indian colonies was established in 1725?
A) Mahe
B) Yanam
C) Pondichéry
D) Karikal
  • 61. Which French colony was established in 1739?
A) Pondichéry
B) Mahe
C) Karikal
D) Chandernagore
  • 62. In what year were the first ships sent by the East Indies Company formed in 1604?
A) 1664
B) 1616
C) 1609
D) 1604
  • 63. When did the second French colonial empire begin?
A) 1850
B) 1830
C) 1789
D) 1814
  • 64. Which empire was the largest in the world on the eve of World War I?
A) The French Empire
B) The Spanish Empire
C) The German Empire
D) The British Empire
  • 65. To which country did France sell Louisiana in 1803?
A) Britain
B) Canada
C) Spain
D) The United States
  • 66. What was the ideological foundation of French colonialism called?
A) Republican Expansionism
B) Manifest Destiny
C) Mission civilisatrice
D) The Grand Design
  • 67. Who was a prominent proponent of the 'duty to civilize'?
A) Jules Ferry
B) Georges Leygues
C) Charles de Gaulle
D) Jean Talon
  • 68. What was the primary focus of the colony of New France?
A) Spices
B) Textile manufacturing
C) Fur trade
D) Gold mining
  • 69. Which region became the richest sugar colony in the Caribbean for France?
A) Saint-Domingue
B) Martinique
C) Saint Lucia
D) Guadeloupe
  • 70. Which city served as the capital of New France after 1608?
A) Saint-Domingue
B) Quebec
C) Montreal
D) Port Royal
  • 71. Who rejected the policy of assimilation as 'disastrous and absurd'?
A) Jean Talon
B) Georges Leygues
C) Jules Ferry
D) Samuel de Champlain
  • 72. Which territory was returned by Spain to France in 1800?
A) Louisiana
B) Martinique
C) Quebec
D) Haiti
  • 73. In what year did the slave revolt in Saint Domingue begin?
A) 1791
B) 1789
C) 1804
D) 1801
  • 74. Who led the slave revolt in Haiti after Toussaint L'Ouverture was captured?
A) Captain Sorrell
B) Jean-Jacques Dessalines
C) Charles X
D) Napoleon Bonaparte
  • 75. In what year did Haiti achieve independence?
A) 1804
B) 1802
C) 1803
D) 1847
  • 76. What was the primary cause of death for the majority of French soldiers in Haiti?
A) Disease
B) Naval bombardment
C) Combat in battle
D) Starvation
  • 77. During which years did the French attempt to establish a colony in Egypt?
A) 1789–1791
B) 1798–1801
C) 1830–1875
D) 1802–1803
  • 78. How many generals were reported to have died in the 1802–03 Haiti campaign?
A) 55
B) 18
C) 45
D) 10
  • 79. What governing policy did France primarily use in Morocco?
A) Military dictatorship
B) Direct democratic rule
C) Total annexation
D) In-direct rule
  • 80. Who was the Berber independence leader that founded the short-lived Rif Republic?
A) Francisco Franco
B) Abd el-Krim
C) Louis Faidherbe
D) Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif
  • 81. In what year did the French protectorate of Tunisia begin?
A) 1896
B) 1881
C) 1854
D) 1912
  • 82. Who was appointed to govern and expand the colony of Senegal in 1854?
A) Napoleon III
B) Hussein Dey
C) Francisco Franco
D) Louis Faidherbe
  • 83. What was the significance of the year 1962 in Algeria?
A) The death of Napoleon III
B) Algerian independence
C) The start of the conquest
D) The end of the Rif Republic
  • 84. Which French leader referred to Algeria as an 'Arab kingdom' rather than a traditional colony?
A) Napoleon III
B) Francisco Franco
C) Louis Faidherbe
D) Hussein Dey
  • 85. What major revolt occurred in 1871 in the Kabylia region of Algeria?
A) Rif Rebellion
B) Zaian Revolt
C) Battle of Annual
D) Mokrani Revolt
  • 86. The Voulet–Chanoine Mission set out from Senegal in 1898 with the goal of conquering which region?
A) Syria
B) New Caledonia
C) Chad Basin
D) Morocco
  • 87. Which major event in 1898 involved a confrontation between French troops and a British force in Southern Sudan?
A) Leewards War
B) Fashoda Incident
C) Agadir Crisis
D) Franco-Tahitian War
  • 88. In what year did France become a protectorate over Morocco following the Agadir Crisis?
A) 1911
B) 1900
C) 1880
D) 1898
  • 89. What was the name of the 1847 agreement that required France and Britain to respect the independence of the Leeward Islands?
A) Jarnac Convention
B) Bardo Treaty
C) Treaty of Raiatea
D) Treaty of Nouméa
  • 90. In what year did Admiral Febvrier Despointes take formal possession of New Caledonia?
A) 1880
B) 1847
C) 1897
D) 1853
  • 91. What mission from 1890–1892 traveled from Senegal to Lake Chad to sign treaties with local rulers?
A) Gentil Mission
B) Foureau–Lamy Mission
C) Colonel Parfait-Louis Monteil
D) Voulet–Chanoine Mission
  • 92. The death of which Muslim warlord in April 1900 helped conclude the Voulet–Chanoine Mission's goals?
A) King Pōmare V
B) Teraupo'o
C) Admiral Febvrier Despointes
D) Rabih az-Zubayr
  • 93. Which island became a French protectorate following the abdication of King Pōmare V in 1880?
A) Raiatea
B) Bora Bora
C) Tahiti
D) New Caledonia
  • 94. Which territory was also known as the Obock Territory?
A) Djibouti
B) Cameroon
C) Gabon
D) Togo
  • 95. Who protected Christians in Damascus during the 1860 riots?
A) Emir Abd-el-Kadr
B) Napoleon III
C) Lord Palmerston
D) Ferdinand de Lesseps
  • 96. Who appointed the Christian governor of Lebanon after the international conference in Paris?
A) Napoleon III
B) The Ottoman Sultan
C) The Emir of Damascus
D) The British government
  • 97. Which French domestic group strongly supported the intervention in Lebanon?
A) The Catholic political faction
B) The industrial workers
C) The followers of Jules Ferry
D) The free trade advocates
  • 98. Who was the British Prime Minister for most of the period between 1855 and 1865?
A) Lord Palmerston
B) Jules Ferry
C) Ferdinand de Lesseps
D) Napoleon III
  • 99. How did Britain attempt to stop the construction of the Suez Canal?
A) Purchasing all the shares
B) Direct military invasion
C) Promoting revolts among workers
D) Closing the Red Sea
  • 100. Which colony had an educational system closely modeled on mainland France due to Paul Cambon's administration?
A) Vietnam
B) Algeria
C) Madagascar
D) Tunisia
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