"I'm pretty sure that socialism had existed well before France did."
Yep. Just look back to early Christian church history and you'll be amazed at all the socialism being advocated (and practiced).
The problem with France (and Germany, Italy, Holland, etc) is that they have embraced the false belief that social justice and peace can be bought while ignoring the baser instincts of human nature.
Or, as Chairman Mao so elequently put it, "There is no such thing as human nature."
The first rule of human nature: it is not enough to simply "have enough", one must "have more", and it doesn't matter where "more" comes from.
More cynicism based on bad history?
And failing then capitalism replacing it and succeeding. You might want to finish the story.