ABSTRACT
The growth of geography in France, unlike that in Germany with its several distinct schools of thought, has been shaped by the work of one man, namely, Vidal de la Blache. For a generation his school was dominant and, though the goals of the faunder are today apparently somewhat outdistanced, French colleagues now refer to la tradition vidalienne. This chapter is devoted, therefore, to the works of Vidal de la Blache and to one of his early pupils, Jean Brunhes who clarified the field of study his teacher so clearly established.
