Accounts of the international relations of Central America have been
dominated by the role of the United States and Great Britain. The role
of France in Central America has largely been overshadowed by the other
great powers. In a well-written, tight, and masterful synthesis, Thomas
Schoonover redresses this imbalance. Based on exhaustive multinational
archival research, The French in Central America: Culture and Commerce,
1820-1930 details French attempts to establish a sphere of influence in
Central America amongst the machinations of the British, Germans, and
U.S. who all sought to dominate trade in Central America, control
transit routes between the oceans, advise the national militaries, and
influence cultural developments. The book traces the involvement of the
French in Central America from Independence to the unsteady economic
years following World War I. Central America, in the nineteenth century
was an area of vital importance to the French, who, along with a number
of other powers, were interested in building a canal across the isthmus.
The French in Central America demonstrates how the French used both
economic and military means to further their desire for economic as well
as colonial expansion. More importantly, the book examines how the
French worked to develop strong cultural bonds with the nations of
Central America through education, language schools, orders, and
military missions. The French sought cultural advantage in considerable
part because they hoped and expected commercial benefits to result. The
French in Central America: Culture and Commerce, 1820-1930 is an
important addition to the growing literature on the international
relations of the Americas. This book will be of great interest to
professors and students of French and Central American history as well
as individuals interested in international relations and cultural
studies.
