The acquisition of colonies served, starting from the 15th century, to expand the influence of all major countries, mostly European, beyond national and maritime borders, as strongly as it did to spread their own culture in foreign regions of the world. By the end of the 16th century, France was able to acquire its first territories and gradually expanded its influence until it became the second-largest colonial power in the 19th century. These very developments up to the year 1901 are the subject of the present book by Alfred Zimmermann. He details the developments of France's colonization efforts and also points to its political significance and the connection to other European colonial powers.