The French colonial empire (Empire colonial français) was one of the largest European empires, referring to the overseas possessions of France. Its history was split between two time periods: the first colonial empire, which existed until 1814 and was mostly lost, and the second empire, which existed until 1980. France competed with Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Britain for colonies in North America and India in the 17th century. It lost most of its colonies during the 18th and 19th centuries, being force to rebuild the French Empire from about 1850. The new territories spanned mostly Africa but also included others, such as French Indochina. These lands provided raw materials and other goods for French markets, as well as manpower during World War I and World War II. By the 1970s, most of this was lost and only a few scattered islands remaining under French control are all that is left of one of the world's largest empires.
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