It is not uncommon to hear politicians say that France and the US are based on the same values when politicians from either country want to encourage unity and get either country to do what the other wants. However, I think that this is untrue, and that in reality they were based on quite different values from the very first.
As I see it, the values that modern france is based off of can be summarized in it's motto, "liberté, égalité, fraternité" which means liberty, equality, and fraternity (think like world peace, brotherly love, etc). The values that the US was formed off of can be summarized in a similar fassion the belief that all people have the God given right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", or perhaps in an even more condensed form, "that all men are created equal". Now, although these values may sound similar, they are based off of completely different schools of thought. While France's motto describes a naive vision of every person being equal and living in peace and harmony, the US values are more realistic, taking into account that all people are evil and describing them as CREATED equal and outlining their God-given freedoms that will give everyone a shot at being the best person they can be. This is a huge difference. While France was based on the socialist idea of toppling the monuments so that everyone can be equal, which was conveniently displayed by the vast amount of destruction that occurred during the French Revolution, The US was based off of the idea that everyone should be allowed to do their best the elevate themselves, which is also demonstrated by the fact that the US went from being an oppressed colony of Great Britain to being one of the most prosperous nations on earth. Not that I have anything against getting along with the French, I just don't like it when people confuse humanitarian naivety with Christian values. (Tisk, tisk, josh, always focusing on differences and never finding areas of agreement.)
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