After the French revolution, the French inspired by Joan of Arc who called them French men began to develop their sense of nationalism and spread it throughout French society. They began to shape their nationalist ideals into what they called "liberty, equality, fraternity," henceforth they began to call themselves citizens, to reinforce equality among all French.
After the French Revolution, the French believed that it was their duty as patriotic men to expand the French colonies. Based on this they began French expansionism and justified the "taking over" of land with the idea that it was the duty of the French to spread the rational ideas of France (inspired by the Enlightenment) and to spread the nationalist concept everywhere possible.
