Quote:
Originally Posted by The Special One
I completely understand why the Quebecois people are so opposed to English. Look at what the British establishment did in places like Australia and Ireland - almost completely wiped out their native culture and languages. I can understand and appreciate that they are fighting tooth and nail not to fall into the same trap.
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Maybe they should have fought tooth-and-nail in 1759 when it actually would have mattered.
And the Australia comparison doesn't pass muster. Not sure about the parallels between European colonization (Australia) and engaging in combat operations, across multiple continents, with your age-old enemy. The British fought the French in many places, including New France, and hammered them each time on the field of battle, thereby effectively 'conquering' the region and becoming the dominant player or hegemon in that area. This is usually what happens in war.
For all intents and purposes, the residents of New France were fortunate that they were still able to speak their language and practice their religion without fear of reprisal. As history has shown us, this was not the case in areas conquered by the Spanish, or more recently in areas of the former Soviet Union, where it was a crime - punishable by imprisonment and/or hard labour - to speak your native language (non-Russian) in many areas. This was REAL subjugation.