France had suffered more than any other country in World War I, losing 1.4 million men and paying an enormous price in terms of territory, money, and prestige. The French people were exhausted by the cost of the war and wanted nothing more than to return to the way things were before 1914.
France was not an imperial power like other European countries, but it did have colonies in North Africa, West Africa and the Caribbean. The end of World War I saw the demise of its empire as France ceded control over Syria, Lebanon and Tunisia to the League of Nations. It also lost control over its African colonies.
The United Kingdom had suffered much less than France but still experienced significant casualties (around 800,000) as well as financial losses through war bonds. Like France, it wanted to return to pre-war normalcy as quickly as possible.
The United Kingdom had a large empire that included India, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. At home, it faced problems such as unemployment, labor unrest and inflation that had been caused by the cost of waging war against Germany during World War I.
Both countries turned away from perceived aggression by Germany after World War I ended. They did not want another war, so they sought security by building up their armed forces and making alliances with other nations like the United States.
