For many years France was a nation of internal contrasts ' between the more urban and industrial north and the rural south, between the intellectual elite and the largely agricultural workforce, between chic Paris and the less sophisticated provincial cities ' and a nation that saw itself as standing alone, distinct from all others.
France used to have sharp contrasts dividing society along regional, economic, and educational lines.
mnli hypothesis: France used to have sharp contrasts dividing society along regional, economic, and educational lines. premise: For many years France was a nation of internal contrasts ' between the more urban and industrial north and the rural south, between the intellectual elite and the largely agricultural workforce, between chic Paris and the less sophisticated provincial cities ' and a nation that saw itself as standing alone, distinct from all others.