History Books

I finished reading a 10th grade French history textbook, kindly given to me by a social studies teacher at the high school in Landivisiau. We had talked about what’s covered in a US public school’s history course versus one in France – specifically the Cold War – and so he let me have a copy of the 10th and 12th graders’ books.

The 10th grade textbook begins with Ancient Greece and ends with the industrial revolution. Aside form a greater focus on Europe and France, especially France’s “inspiring” other countries to become democratic, I didn’t notice any glaring differences. The French textbook didn’t seem to talk much about the Louisiana Purchase, though I guess it wasn’t a good deal for them and they had a lot going on at home and elsewhere. I think the notable differences will come from the 12th grader textbook, from the end of WWII to today.