The Kingdom of France was the first country to have diplomatic ties with the new United States in 1778. The 1778 Treaty of Alliance between the two countries and the subsequent aid provided from France proved decisive in the American victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War. France, however, was left heavily indebted after the war, which contributed to France's own revolution and eventual transition to a republic.
The France–United States relations has remained peaceful since, with the exceptions of the Quasi-War from 1798 to 1800 and American combat against Vichy France (while supporting Free France) from 1942 to 1944 during World War II. In 1803, the United States purchased the territory of Louisiana from France to acquire a total of and expand westwards. Tensions, however, rose during the American Civil War, as France intervened militarily in Mexico and entertained the possibility of recognizing the separatist Confederate States of America, the defeat of which was followed by the United States sending a large army to the Mexican border and forcing the withdrawal of French forces from Mexico.
Since 2000, the United States and France have continued to work together on a range of issues, such as counterterrorism, climate change, and trade. However, there was sharp disagreement over the Iraq War in 2003. Relations improved again starting in 2010.
Six years after the 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War, the French Revolution overthrew the Bourbon regime. In the beginning, the United States was supportive of the changes in France, where the absolute hereditary monarchy was replaced by a Republic. However, as the situation in France deteriorated, with the revolutionary government becoming more Authoritarianism and brutal, the United States' sympathy waned. Catherine Hebert reports that French visitors before 1790 made highly favorable reports of American culture, influenced perhaps by the ideals of the noble savage and the American acceptance of the Enlightenment. However the Royalist exiles who came in the 1790s responded in a highly negative fashion to republicanism.Catherine Hebert, "Demise of the American Dream: The French Experience of American Life in the Age of the French Revolution," Social History/Histoire Sociale (1990) 23#46 pp 219-248.
In 1800, Spain returned its portion of Louisiana to France, which then sold it all to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, permanently ending French colonial efforts on the American mainland. In the United States, the legacy of New France includes numerous place names as well as pockets of French-speaking communities.William R. Nester, The first global war: Britain, France, and the fate of North America, 1756-1775 (Greenwood, 2000).
During the American Civil War, 1861–65, French leader Napoleon III favored the Confederate States of America, hoping to weaken the United States, gain a new ally in the Confederacy, safeguard the cotton trade and protect his large investment in controlling the Second Mexican Empire.Stève Sainlaude, France and the American Civil War: a diplomatic history (2019). Napoleon III took advantage of the war in 1863, when he installed Austrian archduke Maximilian of Habsburg on the Mexican throne. Washington protested and refused to recognize the new government.Lynn M. Case, and Warren E. Spencer, The United States and France: Civil War Diplomacy (1970) Seeking to avoid war with France, Secretary of State William Seward cautiously limited aid to the Mexican rebels until the Confederacy was near defeat.Gary Moreno, "Rage Against the Monarchy American Reaction to the French Intervention in Mexico." Journal of the West 47#3 (2008): 48-55. By 1865, United States diplomatic pressure coupled with the massing of US soldiers on the border with Mexico persuaded Napoleon III to withdraw French troops and support. The democratic Mexican government was soon restored and Maximilian executed.Paul H. Reuter, "United States-French Relations Regarding French Intervention in Mexico: From the Tripartite Treaty to Queretaro," Southern Quarterly (1965) 6#4 pp 469–489
The removal of Napoleon III in 1870 after the Franco-Prussian War helped improve Franco–American relations. In subsequent years the balance of power in the relationship shifted as the United States, with its very rapid growth in wealth, industry and population, came to overshadow the old powers. Trade was at a low level, France minimized the activity of American banks and insurance companies, tariffs were high, and mutual investments were uncommon.Henry Blumenthal, France and the United States: Their Diplomatic Relations, 1789–1914 (1970) pp 167–180. All during this period, the relationship remained friendly—as symbolized by the Statue of Liberty, presented in 1884 as a gift to the United States from the French people. From 1870 until 1918, France was the only major republic in a Europe of monarchies, which endeared it to the United States.Barry Rubin and Judith Colp Rubin, Hating America: A History (2005) p 133.
During the interwar years, the two nations remained friendly. Beginning in the 1920s, U.S. intellectuals, painters, writers, and tourists were drawn to visit because of their interest in French culture.Brooke L. Blower, Becoming Americans in Paris: Transatlantic politics and culture between the World Wars (Oxford University Press, 2011). However, anti-Americanism came of age in the 1920s, as many French traditionalists were alarmed at the power of Hollywood and warned that America represented a modernity that would overpower French traditions.David Strauss, "The Rise of Anti-Americanism In France: French Intellectuals and the American Film Industry, 1927–1932," Journal of Popular Culture (177) 10#4 pp 752–759
In the approach to the Second World War the United States helped France arm its air force against the Nazi threat. However, fewer than 200 U.S. warplanes could be delivered before France surrendered in 1940.Robert Dallek, Franklin D. Roosevelt and American foreign policy, 1932-1945 (1979) pp 172–175. In 1944, the U.S. Third Army under General Patton pushed the German Army from the country, first sweeping across northern France before going on to liberate Lorraine.
A Suez Crisis in 1956 when France, Britain, and Israel attacked Egypt, which had recently nationalized the Suez Canal. Eisenhower forced them to withdraw. By exposing their diminished international stature, the Suez Crisis had a profound impact on the UK and France: the UK subsequently aligned its Middle East policy to that of the United States, whereas France distanced itself from what it considered to be unreliable allies and sought its own path. The two nations also differed over the waging of the Vietnam War, in part because French leaders were convinced that the United States could not win. The French popular view of the United States worsened at the same period, as it came to be seen as an imperialist power.Yuko Torikata, "Reexamining de Gaulle's peace initiative on the Vietnam War." Diplomatic History 31.5 (2007): 909-938.Marianna P. Sullivan, France's Vietnam policy: a study in French-American relations (1978).
Relations improved somewhat after Charles de Gaulle lost power in 1969. France, more strongly than any other nation, has seen the European Union as a method of counterbalancing American power, and thus works towards such ends as having the Euro challenge the preeminent position of the United States dollar in global trade and developing a European defense initiative as an alternative to NATO. Overall, the United States had much closer relations with the other large European powers, Great Britain, Germany and Italy.Philip Zelikow and Condoleezza Rice, eds., Germany unified and Europe transformed: a study in statecraft (Harvard UP, 1995).
Angry American talk about French products in retaliation fizzled out, having little impact beyond the short-lived renaming of French fries as "Freedom fries." Nonetheless, the Iraq war, the attempted boycott, and anti-French sentiments caused a hostile negative counter reaction in Europe.della Cava, Marco R. Ugly sentiments sting American tourists. USA Today. 2003-03-03. Retrieved 2010-11-27. By 2006, only one American in six considered France an ally of the United States.
The ire of American popular opinion toward France during the run-up to the 2003 Iraq Invasion was primarily due to the fact that France threatened to use its United Nations Security Council veto power to block United Nations resolutions favorable to authorizing military action, and decided not to intervene in Iraq itself (because the French did not believe the reasons given to go to war, such as the supposed link between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda, and the purported weapons of mass destruction to be legitimate). This contributed to the perception of the French as uncooperative and unsympathetic in American popular opinion at the time. This perception was quite strong and persisted despite the fact that France was and had been for some time a major ally in the campaign in Afghanistan (see for example the French forces in Afghanistan) where both nations (among others in the US-led coalition) were dedicated to the removal of the rogue Taliban, and the subsequent stabilization of Afghanistan, a recognized training ground and safe haven for terrorists intent on carrying out attacks in the Western world.
As the Iraq War progressed, and opposition to the Iraq War amongst Americans increased, relations between the two nations began to improve, and Americans' views of France in general also steadily improved over time. In June 2006 the Pew Global Attitudes Project revealed that 52% of Americans had a positive view of France, up from 46% in 2005. Other reports indicate Americans are moving not so much toward favorable views of France as toward ambivalence, and that views toward France have stabilized roughly on par with views toward Russia and China.
Following issues like Hezbollah's rise in Lebanon, Iran's nuclear program and the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, George Bush urged Jacques Chirac and other world leaders to "stand up for peace" in the face of extremism during a meeting in New York on September 19, 2006.
French and American diplomatic cooperation at the United Nations played an important role in the Cedar Revolution, which saw the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. France and the United States also worked together (with some tensions) in crafting UN resolution 1701, intended to bring about a ceasefire in the 2006 Israeli–Lebanese conflict.
In 2007, Sarkozy delivered a speech before Congress that was seen as a strong affirmation of French-American ties; during the visit, he also met with President George W. Bush as well as senators John McCain and Barack Obama (before they were chosen as presidential candidates). Sarkozy Is Greeted Warmly by Congress – The NY Times In 2008 Bucharest summit, Bush with Canada, Poland, Romania, the Czechs and the Baltic States, strongly supported Ukraine and Georgia becoming NATO action plan members; however, Sarkozy strongly opposed with Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. NATO: No MAP For Georgia Or Ukraine, But Alliance Vows Membership by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, on April 03, 2008
During the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama and John McCain also met with Sarkozy in Paris after securing their respective nominations. Since 2008, France has returned to the integrated command of NATO, President Sarkozy marches France back to Nato with military shake-up – The Times a decision that has been appreciated by the United States. Sarkozy, and France, Look to U.S. Visit – by Brian Knowlton, on March 28, 2010, The NY Times
In 2011 the two countries were part of the multi-state coalition which launched a military intervention in Libya where they led the alliance and conducted 35% of all NATO strikes. However, Sarkozy's interests in Libya as being founded on a desire to gain a greater share of oil production, reservation of part of its oil and gas industry for French firms.U.S. Department of State, “F-2014–20439 Doc No. C05785522”; U.S. Department of State, “F-2014–20439 Doc No. C05783741,” May 5, 2011; Al-Monitor, “Emails to Hillary Contradict French Tale on Libya War,” June 23, 2015. In his Memoir A Promised Land (2020), Obama wrote that Sarkozy proved to be duplicitous and thoroughly unreliable. In Memoir, Obama Calls Putin a ‘Ward Boss, Except With Nukes’, Michael Hirsh, NOVEMBER 18, 2020, Foreign Policy Magazine,
After president François Hollande pledged support for military action against Syria, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry referred to France as "our oldest ally". On 10 February 2014, Hollande arrived in the U.S. for the first state visit by a French leader in nearly two decades.
On September 19, 2014, it was announced that France had joined the United States in bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq as a part of the 2014 American intervention in Iraq. United States president, Barack Obama & the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey, praised Hollande's decision to join the operation: "As one of our oldest and closest allies, France is a strong partner in our efforts against terrorism and we are pleased that French and American service members will once again work together on behalf of our shared security and our shared values." Said Obama.
In April 2018, after Macron spoke to the United States Congress and mentioned his desire that US rejoin the Paris Climate Accords to curb climate change, US congressman Thomas Massie said Macron was "a socialist militarist globalism science-alarmist. The dark future of the American Democratic Party".
In late 2018, Trump ridiculed Macron over nationalism, tariffs, France's World War II defeat, plans for a European army and the French leader's approval ratings. This followed Trump's Armistice Day visit to Paris which was heavily criticized in both France and the United States. In December, Macron criticised Trump over his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, stating: "To be allies is to fight shoulder to shoulder. It's the most important thing for a head of state and head of the military," and "An Ally Should Be Dependable."
In April 2019, the departing French ambassador to the United States Gérard Araud commented on the Trump administration and the US: "Basically, this president and this administration don't have allies, don't have friends. It's really about bilateral relationships on the basis of the balance of power and the defense of narrow American interest... we don't have interlocutors... When we have people to talk to, they are acting, so they don't have real authority or access. Basically, the consequence is that there is only one center of power: the White House." On France working with the US: "...We really don't want to enter into a childish confrontation and are trying to work with our most important ally, the most important country in the world."
In November 2019, Macron questioned the U.S. commitment to Europe, stating: "What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO", adding "NATO only works if the guarantor of last resort functions as such. I'd argue that we should reassess the reality of what NATO is in the light of the commitment of the United States".
In July, Trump threatened tariffs against France in retaliation for France enacting a digital services tax against multinational firms. With Trump tweeting, "France just put a digital tax on our great American technology companies. If anybody taxes them, it should be their home Country, the USA. We will announce a substantial reciprocal action on Macron's foolishness shortly. I've always said American wine is better than French wine!"
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire indicated France would follow through with its digital tax plans. French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume responded on French TV, "It's absurd, in terms of having a political and economic debate, to say that if you tax the 'GAFAs', I'll tax wine. It's completely moronic."
After Trump again indicated his intentions to impose taxes on French wine over France's digital tax plans, President of the European Council Donald Tusk stated the European Union would support France and impose retaliatory tariffs on the US. In December 2019, the U.S. government stated that it might impose tariffs up to 100% on $2.4 billion in imports from France of Champagne, handbags, cheese and other products, after reaching the conclusion that France's digital services tax would be detrimental to U.S. tech companies.
However in early 2022, France worked closely with the U.S. and NATO in helping Ukraine and punishing Russia for its invasion. During Macron's visit to the U.S. in December 2022, he and President Biden reaffirmed the cooperation between the two countries. They also discussed the war in Ukraine and economic issues.
In April 2023, Macron argued that European countries should not get involved in US confrontation with China over Taiwan. His long-term plan of "strategic autonomy" angered some Republican lawmakers, who called for a re-evaluation of the US-French relationship.
In November 2023, an agreement extended the validity of E-1 and E-2 visas for French traders and investors in the United States from two to four years.
On the other hand, Kuisel identifies several strong pull effects:
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