Editing Foreign relations of France (section)

===François Mitterrand: 1981–1995===
{{Main|Foreign policy of François Mitterrand}}

[[François Mitterrand]], a Socialist, emphasized European unity<ref>Simon J. Nuttall, ''European Foreign Policy'' (2000) p. 41.</ref> and the preservation of France's special relationships with its [[French colonial empire|former colonies]] in the face of "[[Anglosphere|Anglo-Saxon]] influence."<ref>[http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2730430.ece Mitterrand's role revealed in Rwandan genocide warning] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706182535/http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2730430.ece |date=6 July 2008 }}, 3 July 2007/ ''The Independent''</ref> A part of the enacted policies was formulated in the [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]]'s [[110 Propositions for France]], the electoral program for the [[1981 French presidential election|1981 presidential election]].  He had a warm and effective relationship with the conservative German Chancellor [[Helmut Kohl]]. They promoted French-German bilateralism in Europe and strengthened military cooperation between the two countries.

According to Wayne Northcutt, certain domestic circumstances helped shape Mitterrand's foreign policy in four ways: he needed to maintain a political consensus; he kept an eye on economic conditions; he believed in the nationalistic imperative for French policy; and he tried to exploit Gaullism and its heritage that is on political advantage.<ref>Wayne Northcutt. "The domestic origins of Mitterrand's foreign policy, 1981-1985." ''Contemporary French Civilization'' (1986), 10#2 pp 233-267</ref>