The official policy of French imperialism was to assimilate the conquered peoples, but in practice this was not achieved. Only the wealthiest natives could afford to educate their children in French culture and achieve assimilation. The average population was exploited for cheap labor. The natives had no political rights. The French government was a democracy only in France; the French colonies were governed as an autocratic state. This oppression would lead to revolutions in the future. The Third Republic established a vast empire, surpassed only by the English. The empire provided power, money, and an escape for French citizens. This empire included over 100 million Africans, Arabs, and Asians and was physically 40 times larger than the French nation. Imperialism affected France and the areas it conquered for generations; this powerful empire managed to survive until