# .font: font.text_2
# .autowrap: false
# .centered: true
le monde 6 france
# .font: font.text_1
by
# .font: font.text_2
dustin
# .centered: false

# .font: font.value_1
# .autowrap: false
DUSTIN                            2023-06-21 12:10
# .font: font.value_2
# .autowrap: true
THE FRENCH FLAG GOES BACK TO THE FAMOUS FRENCH REVOLUTION (1789-1799) AND BECAME A SYMBOL OF THE REPUBLIC, ALTHOUGH EVEN AFTER 1799, THERE WERE SEVERAL PERIODS WHERE AN EMPEROR RULED THE COUNTRY (NAPOLEON BONAPARTE BEING THE MOST FAMOUS OF THOSE).  
  
MEANING OF THE COLORS:  
  
(A) HISTORICALLY:  
| RED AND BLUE: TRADITIONAL COLORS OF PARIS, THE CITY OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE FOR THE REVOLUTION.  
\ RED GOES BACK TO FAMOUS SAINT MARTIN.  
\ BLUE GOES BACK TO SAINT DENIS OF PARIS.  
| WHITE HAD A LONG TRADITION ON FRENCH FLAGS BEFORE, AND CAN BE CONSIDERED THE MOST TRADITIONAL FRENCH COLOR.  
THE "REVOLUTIONARY" COLORS OF PARIS WERE COMBINED WITH THE "NATIONAL" WHITE COLOR SO THE FLAG WOULD NOT MERELY REPRESENT ONE CITY BUT THE WHOLE NATION.  
  
ANOTHER INTERPRETATION OF WHITE IS AS THE COLOR OF MONARCHY. ACCORDING TO THAT INTERPRETATION, THE MID-POSITION OF WHITE BETWEEN RED AND BLUE (REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE) SYMBOLIZES THE REDUCED POWER OF THE KING.  
  
(B) AN A POSTERIORI INTERPRETATION OF THE COLORS IS THAT THEY REPRESENT THE THREE MAIN ESTATES OF THE OLD REGIME (BEFORE THE REVOLUTION):  
| BLUE = THE BURGEOISE  
| WHITE = THE CHURCH  
| RED = THE NOBLES  
THE POINT BEHIND THAT INTERPRETATION IS THE ORDERING: THE BURGEOISE, WHICH WERE THE THIRD ESTATE BEHIND CHURCH AND NOBLES IN THE OLD REGIME, ARE NOW ADVANCING TO BE THE FIRST COLOR OF THE FLAG, AS A RESULT OF THE REVOLUTION. THE NOBLES, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE BEEN "DEGRADED" TO THE LAST POSITION.  
  
(C) ANOTHER INTERPRETATION OF THE COLORS, ALSO GIVEN A POSTERIORI, IS THAT THE FLAG REPRESENTS THE FRENCH NATIONAL MOTTO "LIBERTE, EGALITE, FRATERNITE" (WHICH WAS, OF COURSE, ALSO THE MOTTO OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION):  
| BLUE = LIBERTE (FREEDOM)  
| WHITE = EGALITE (EQUALITY)  
| RED = FRATERNITE (BROTHERHOOD)  
  
I'M HAPPY THAT I SOMEWHAT MANAGED TO REPRESENT THIS INTERPRETATION IN THE CAVE:  
| "FREEDOM" = THE BLUE OUTBOXES, LEADING OUT OF THE CAVE INTO FREEDOM  
| "EQUALITY" = THE \\\ ARE ALL EQUALLY WORTHY, AND ^ NEEDS THEM ALL ANYWAY  
| "BROTHERHOOD" = THE ^ BROTHERS!  
  
WELL, TO BE HONEST, ONLY THE ^ WERE MY SPECIAL IDEA TO REPRESENT "BROTHERHOOD". THE OTHER TWO INTERPRETATIONS CAME TO ME AFTER I HAD FINISHED THE CAVE. SO HERE I MADE MY OWN LITTLE EXPERIENCE WITH A POSTERIORI INTERPRETATIONS. BUT I STILL THINK THEY WORK QUITE WELL :D  
  
THE FRENCH FLAG IS OFTEN CALLED "TRICOLORE", ALTHOUGH, OF COURSE, IT'S BY FAR NOT THE ONLY THREE-COLORED FLAG IN THE WORLD. BUT IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST AND INSPIRED MANY OTHERS! IN RETURN, THE FRENCH FLAG WAS ALSO INSPIRED BY THE FLAG OF THE NETHERLANDS WHICH HAS THE SAME COLORS. WE'VE ALREADY SEEN SUCH INSPIRATION VICE VERSA - THE DUTCH NATIONAL MOTTO IS IN FRENCH LANGUAGE ("JE MAINTIENDRAI") AND THE DUTCH NATIONAL COLOR (ORANGE) GOES BACK TO THE FRENCH CITY "ORANGE"! :D