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Cross Channel Currents - 100 years of Entente Cordiale
Written by Editors: Douglas Johnson, Richard Mayne and Robert Tombs.
When a century ago the Entente Cordiale agreements were signed, no-one could have realized how important a watershed it was to become. What began as a deal over various colonial issues became an increasingly close relationship in a world growing more dangerous. Ten years later it became a life-or-death alliance in the First World War, and during the fraught interwar period a partnership attempting vainly to keep the peace. During the Second World War both countries struggled together for the freedom of Europe and their own survival. Since then, they have been leading partners in European politics and the chief representatives of Europe and defenders of its interests in the outside world. This book tells the story of the triumphs and tragedies of this hundred-year relationship, as well as the everyday common interests and shared pleasures that give it substance. The actors include monarchs and politicians, soldiers and resistance heroes, writers, artists, entrepreneurs, engineers, tourists, expatriates, sports stars and even students. Many hands have made light work of the story. Those who tell it have themselves contributed to history. They include the late Roy Jenkins, in a witty and personal view of Winston Churchill’s relationship with France; Pierre Messmer, a companion of Charles de Gaulle during World War II and later his Prime Minster; former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd, who remembers the historic meeting of Edward Heath and Georges Pompidou; Hubert Védrine, former French Foreign Minister on future cross-channel relations; and their successors Dominique de Villepin and Jack Straw. Protagonists and witnesses are balanced by analysts and scholars from both Britain and France. Some are respected historians like Maurice Vaïsse and Christopher Andrew. They also include well-known writers ranging from John Ardagh, Miles Kington and Gillian Tindall to Maurice Druon, André Fontaine and Jean-Pierre Angremy. Their work has been welded into a coherent whole by the Franco-British editorial team. What the book reveals, again and again, is the importance of looking beyond agreements and disagreements to the unspoken assumptions that underlie conscious thoughts and policies. Only thus, as experience shows, can the Entente be truly Cordiale. Richard Mayne is an historian, writer and broadcaster. Douglas Johnson is professor emeritus of French History, University of London. Robert Tombs is a reader in History at Cambridge University.Published: March 2004