Actually, its pretty much a gesture originating from Britain. It came into being as an insult when used by the English longbowmen, during the Hundred Years War and more specifically after the battle of Agincourt, and used to show two fingers to the French to signify that they still had their fingers to use the draw-string of their bows. The French were quite partial to cutting them off of captured archers, apparentally. And no, it doesn't mean the same thing in France; they're quite fond of just using it to signify 2.