French Culture Vs American Culture Essay

France is a country that has distinct qualities and has a lot to offer those that wish to learn more about it. France’s background is diverse, but its inhabitants are unified in identity. Although many different regional cultures abound, a sense of national unity dominates the land. (Central Intelligence Agency) Linguistic, religious, ethnic, geographical, and historical factors all contribute to the French culture in many impactful ways. This distinct culture allows the French to provide interesting characteristics, values, and communication styles that can be very insightful when studying communication. France’s individualistic nature, a common trait of Western civilizations, seems to be the root of who the French are and how they communicate. (Hofstede Centre, pp. 5) It seems to influence all of France’s characteristics in some way, in terms of power distance, family value, verbal
A very obvious similarity is the individualistic nature of the two cultures. France and the United states are among some of the most individualistic cultures. (Hofstede Centre, pp. 5) What relates the two countries, and points to the individualistic nature of both, are the revolutions that each country had; the American Revolution and the French Revolution were both monumental and served as models that countries in the future would follow.

One large difference between France and the United States lies within the power distance rating. The United States has a very low power distance compared to that of France. (Hofstede Centre, pp. 5) This is probably due to the fact that the American people are very motivated to abolish any inequality, and the French deem it somewhat less necessary and have grown to accept it. “The American premise of ‘liberty and justice for all’” is a big part of the equal rights movement, contributing to America’s low power distance. (Hofstede Centre, pp.