1. Empire without sovereignty: the political economy of French informal imperialism -- 2. Algeria, informal empire manqué -- 3. Champagne capitalism: the commodification of luxury and the French empire of taste -- 4. Conquest by money: the geopolitics and logistics of investment colonization --...

A colonial empire in crisis -- Empire beyond the mercantile system -- Between enslaved territories and overseas provinces -- Supplying or supplanting the Americas -- A revolutionary crescendo -- Conclusion: Ancien Regime legacies.