Vichy Regime in France

INTO
 THE
 ABYSS:
 
THE
 VICHY
 REGIME
 (1940-­‐1944)
 

I.
 
 THE
 FOUNDING
 OF
 
 
THE
 VICHY
 REGIME
 
Suicide
 of
 the
 Third
 Republic
 
Pétain’s
 Initial
 Popularity
 

SUICIDE
 OF
 THE
 THIRD
 REPUBLIC
 
1)  French
 Parliament
 voted
 
to
 give
 full
 powers
 to
 
Marshall
 Philippe
 Pétain.
 
2)  Parliamentary
 vote
 was
 
overwhelming
 (569
 to
 
80).
 
3)  A
 purely
 French
 demand
 
-­‐
 not
 prompted
 by
 any
 
demand
 on
 the
 part
 of
 
the
 Germans.
 

PÉTAIN
 VERY
 POPULAR
 INITIALLY
 
1)  Pétain’s
 background:
 
•  Victor
 of
 Battle
 of
 Verdun
 in
 
WWI.
 
•  Protector
 –
 Known
 for
 
looking
 out
 for
 the
 common
 
soldier.
 
•  Grandfatherly
 figure.
 

2)  The
 French
 situation:
 
•  Country
 needed
 emergency
 
government.
 
•  Presumption
 that
 Germany
 
had
 won
 the
 war.
 

II.
 
 FOUNDING
 ERRORS
 

OF
 THE
 VICHY
 REGIME
 
Treated
 German
 Occupation
 as
 an
 Opportunity
 
Misjudged
 Nazi
 Intentions
 

POPULAR
 EXPECTATIONS
 
 
OF
 VICHY
 IN
 1940
 
1)  Protect
 French
 people
 
from
 Nazi
 predations.
 
2)  Concede
 as
 little
 as
 
possible.
 
3)  Resist
 wherever
 possible.
 
4)  Switch
 sides
 if
 the
 war
 
turnED
 against
 Germany.
 

TREATING
 THE
 GERMAN
 OCCUPATION
 
OF
 FRANCE
 AS
 AN
 OPPORTUNITY
 
1)  Did
 not
 simply
 make
 
the
 best
 of
 a
 bad
 
situation.
 
2)  Rather,
 pursued
 an
 
agenda
 of
 domestic
 
reform
 (the
 “national
 ...