Book Review: H.G. Unger's "The French War Against America"
Harlow Giles Unger's "The French War Against America" (2005)
Fitz E. Barringer
2005-09-01
America and France have been allies forever. That is what most students learn in elementary school anyway. The heartwarming story goes something like this. France is America's oldest and most loyal ally. The two nations -- both staunch defenders of democracy -- fought side by side against injustice and oppression in the American Revolutionary War, two world wars, and opposed the threat of communism during the Cold War. The current disagreement between the two nations over the liberation of Iraq is simply a minor bump in a long and prosperous relationship.
Unfortunately, according to Harlow Giles Unger's "The French War Against America," the true history of the Franco-American relationship does not fall into place quite so neatly. Unger digs deep into the diplomatic relationship between the two nations to build his argument that France has acted more like America's steadfast enemy than a great friend. All the while, he paints a vivid picture of French treachery committed in the name of restoring French glory at the expense of the United States.
Since the current French opposition to America is so apparent, Unger concentrates the bulk of his writing on historical events before the War of 1812. He begins "The French War Against America" with an examination of French attitudes towards America after the Seven Years War in 1763. By looking at historical records between French ambassadors and King Louis XV, Unger concludes that France was bitterly disappointed over the loss of her American colonies -- Canada and Louisiana -- in the war. Unger points to one man, Etienne Francois le duc de Choiseul, as the visionary who plotted to restore France to her former glory by depriving Britain of her American colonies.
According to Unger, Choiseul hoped that the American colonies could be enticed into a revolution that would weaken Britain and allow France to regain Canada and perhaps seize the thirteen British colonies as well. Unger makes a convincing argument that the original French pledge to help in the American Revolution was motivated by greed and an urge for revenge against the British. As evidence, Unger cites a French attempt to replace George Washington with their general, Comte de Broglie. Under the French scheme, de Broglie was to take over the American military, establish himself as the military dictator of the colonies, and then turn America over to France.
To the credit of the founding fathers, however, many recognized that France was not committed to democratic ideals. Unger points out that John Adams, for instance, was one of the first American leaders to be wary of France. He wondered how a nation with an autocratic ruler could be truly committed to the democratic reforms in America. After all, the promise of democracy and equality, already contentious issues in France, would tear the nation apart just six years after the American war.
Unger illustrates how George Washington and other American leaders struggled to utilize the aid promised by the self-interested French while at the same time worked to keep France from ruining the revolutionary efforts through selfish actions. Halfway through his book, Unger concludes that America managed to win the Revolutionary War not because of France, but in spite of France.
According to Unger, the end of hostilities between Britain and her former colonies upset the French, but the country soon got over its disappointment. In fact, Unger writes that after a short time, America's victory only served to whet the French appetite for power and land. France, he says, interpreted the American victory as an opportunity to regain her North American possessions. The remainder of the book, therefore, focuses on France's covert -- and at some points downright blatant -- attempts to undermine the new American government.
And herein lies the book's most shocking revelation. Unger tells of how the French government instructed its new ambassador to America, Edmond Genet, to use the United States as a staging ground for France's expansionary policies in 1793. He was told to raise an army of Americans to invade Canada, and, in outright defiance of America's sovereignty as a nation, Genet was ordered to use American ports as bases for French vessels to attack British shipping.
"If President Washington's government refused to cooperate, [Genet] was to exploit pro-French ferment to foment revolution, topple the [American] government, and convert the United States to a French puppet state," Unger writes.
Unger relates how some of the founding fathers, whom the French characterized as "children," struggled against Genet, while others were seduced by his powerful rhetoric. Thomas Jefferson, in particular, is unflatteringly portrayed as a naive supporter of Genet. According to Unger, Jefferson allowed his support of revolutionary France and friendship with Genet stand in the way of his loyalty to America and President Washington.
At this point in the book, much of Unger's argument is based upon his examination of correspondence between Washington, Jefferson, and Genet. These writings offer a unique perspective of the emotions felt by the powerful men as they struggled for the destiny of America. The reader gets a vivid sense of the leaders' weaknesses, goals, and temperaments. And it is this human touch that elevates "The French War Against America" beyond a dry telling of facts and into a truly enjoyable interpretation of early American history.
In contrast to the in-depth examination of the pre-1812 period, the conclusion of the book half-heartedly skims over the ensuing two centuries of Franco-American relations. Unger makes some interesting connections in this portion of the book, but clearly "The French War Against America" is intended to focus on France’s efforts to stifle the American dream before it even began.
Fortunately for the United States, France did not succeed in that task (whether they are able to succeed at any task -- especially a war -- is a topic for another day). But thanks to Unger, readers of "The French War Against America" gain an appreciation for just how hard Americans had to fight to overcome the French. Perhaps, as Unger says, France is not America's oldest ally, but rather its oldest enemy.
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Publisher: Wiley (2005)
Pages: 304
Purchase: The French War Against America.