Those who are familiar with European history know that Britain and France have been a pair of great enemies since ancient times. The two sides have been at odds for a long time, and it is common for each other to stumble and slander each other.
From 1337 to 1453, a war broke out between the two countries that lasted for more than 100 years, which is known as the "Hundred Years War between England and France".
The situation of the Hundred Years' War between England and France
In fact, hostility between Britain and France is inevitable!
Britain has been pursuing a policy of "offshore balancing" and deliberately suppressing the countries of the European continent, while France, located in the hinterland of Western Europe, has always played the role of a great power in the European continent, and its national strategy is completely opposite to that of Britain.
Britain and France have been great powers for hundreds of years in the past, and their influence on world development is needless to say.
However, now that time has passed, do Britain and France still have the same status as they used to be? Who is more developed today, Britain or France?
This article will make a comparison of the strength of Britain and France today from the following aspects!
First of all, let's look at the national development pattern: Britain is becoming more and more "small-minded", and France is still a big country!
Britain has long since been reduced from the "empire on which the sun never sets" to the "Little Britain" of today, and Britain is now willing to be a small vassal country that is a little rich and secure.
France, on the other hand, remains ambitious, and for more than half a century, France has struggled to maintain its status as a great power.
In terms of development pattern, Britain has been doing subtraction, while France has been doing addition.
For more than half a century, France has been actively guiding Europe's internal affairs and enhancing its international discourse.
During the Cold War, he withdrew from NATO, maneuvered between the two hegemons of the United States and the Soviet Union, took the lead in forming the European Union to issue the euro, did not accept the presence of American troops, and expanded its influence in Africa.
From the above angles, it is enough to see that France has made a lot of efforts for the status of a great power.
After all, most European countries are following the United States, and even big countries such as Britain and Germany are inevitably stationed by the United States.
Although Britain and France are both members of the five permanent members of the United Nations, their international discourse power is very different, Britain has completely become a follower of the United States, while France often has its own independent views.
France still has the dream of becoming a great power, but it can only barely maintain the dignity of this great power at present.
In recent years, France's economic growth has been sluggish, the problem of internal migration has become more serious, and the social order has deteriorated, and these internal problems have also hindered France's progress on the road to becoming a great power.
Economic comparison: the French industry is more comprehensive, and the British financial industry is developed!
London is the world's number one financial centre, and the financial industry has now become a pillar industry in the UK in the context of the UK's de-industrialisation.
Concentrating on finance is indeed a quick way to make money, and the economic situation in the UK has been good in recent years.
In 2022, the UK's GDP totaled $3.07 trillion, ranking sixth in the world, while France's GDP was $2.78 trillion, ranking seventh in the world.
In fact, there is not much difference between the total GDP of Britain and France, and they have always been alternately leading, with France leading for a few years, and then Britain leading for a few years.
Britain and France alternate in the lead in terms of total GDP
In terms of industrial structure, France has taken a completely different development path from the United Kingdom.
Although France is also deindustrializing, it is far less complete than that of Britain!
As we mentioned earlier, France is still trying to maintain its status as a great power, and a large country must have a comprehensive industrial chain.
So we see that although France is not big in its own country, it has a very complete range of industrial categories!
Manufacture of cars, shipbuilding, aircraft, high-speed rail, biomedicine, nuclear energy applications, electronic communications, independent military industry, etc.
It is not easy for France, with more than 60 million people, to develop so many industries at the same time, and most of them have become world leaders.
Judging from such a comprehensive and developed industry, France's status as a world power is indeed well deserved!
Science and technology level: Britain is good at basic scientific research, and France is good at high-tech products
Thanks to the universality of English in the world, the number of scientific papers published in the UK has always been higher than that of France.
And the UK's higher education is also better than France's, and the UK has more top universities, such as Oxford, Cambridge, etc.
The UK has long been one of the most popular study destinations, while France is much weaker in attracting international students.
Britain is significantly stronger in some cutting-edge basic scientific research, while France is better at R&D and production of high-tech products due to the preservation of its own industrialization.
Social welfare: France is better than the UK!
France has reached a level of overkill in terms of social welfare!
It is not a good thing to pursue too much equalization of welfare, it will not be able to retain high-end talents, and it will not be conducive to the development and progress of the country in the long run.
The overall income level of the French is very small, and the income of university researchers is likely to be about the same as that of street cleaners or restaurant waiters, but the efforts and hard work of scientific researchers are much higher than that of cleaners and waiters!
In recent years, many French high-end talents have gone to the United Kingdom or North America, not for anything else, just because these places pay and income is proportional!
For ordinary people, France can guarantee a very good living limit, but for elites from all walks of life, it is better to go to the UK!