Theory question 107
Colonial AdministrationWhy did the French abandon the policy of Assimilation?
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Model answer
Any five or six: it was too expensive (education, citizenship rights for all); opposition by Africans who wanted to keep their culture and religion (especially Muslims); resistance by French settlers and traders who did not want Africans as equals; fear that assimilated Africans would outnumber French voters in the French parliament; the large size of the territories and population; it created a small elite cut off from their people; it was difficult to apply in the interior; preference for the cheaper policy of association.
Explanation
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