A Velvet Empire: French Informal Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century

In the 19th century, France pursued a strategy of imperial expansion using soft power, focusing on economic and cultural influence rather than military conquest. This book explores how French elites used conspicuous commodities, loans, and military interventions to build a velvet empire, benefiting from asymmetric relations until setbacks in the 1870s. It also highlights France's contribution to the conservative reinvention of modernity and the resurgence of French colonialism after 1880, cooperation among European empires, and collaboration with indigenous elites.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press

After the fall of Napoleon in 1815, France adopted a predominantly informal approach to empire, focusing on economic and cultural influence rather than military conquest. This era is explored in David Todd's A Velvet Empire, a comprehensive history of French imperialism in the nineteenth century. The book offers fresh perspectives on the mechanisms of imperial collaboration that extended France's power from the Middle East to Latin America and ushered in the modern age of globalization.

Todd reveals how French elites employed a strategic strategy of imperial expansion, utilizing conspicuous commodities like champagne and silk textiles, along with loans to client states, to create a global campaign of seduction. While French imperialism may have been less brutal than that of the British, it was characterized by frequent military interventions and a broadening extraterritorial jurisdiction. Todd demonstrates how France derived significant benefits from these asymmetric, imperial-like relations until a series of setbacks around the world led to their unraveling in the 1870s.

A Velvet Empire sheds light on France's overlooked role in the conservative reinvention of modernity and provides a new interpretation of the resurgence of French colonialism on a global scale after 1880. The book also highlights the significant collaboration among European empires, including archrivals Britain and France, as well as cooperation with indigenous elites, in facilitating imperial expansion and the globalization of capitalism.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691205335