France is still coming to terms with the events of 1940-1945 when the Vichy government of France led by “the hero of Verdun,” Marshal Petain, collaborated with the Nazi government of Germany. Petain famously declared “it is I alone who will be judged by history” as he surrendered after the fall of France in June 1940. General de Gaulle commuted Petain’s death sentence for treason after his very controversial trial in 1945. Petain died in prison in 1951 aged 95. Several of his Vichy collaborators were executed for treason and crimes against humanity in 1945.
- France on Trial, The Case of Marshal Petain, 2023, Penguin, Julian Jackson, ISBN 0674248899
- The Sorrow and the Pity, 1969 Documentary directed by Marcel Ophul (4 hours in two parts). Banned from France until 1981
- Petain, Verdun to Vichy, 2008, Potomac, Robert Bruce, ISBN 1574885987
- France and Britain, outbreak of World War II September 1939 and onset of the Nazi Blitzkrieg
- Fall of France June 1940 and establishment of the Vichy collaborationist government June 1940
- Marshal Petain, Pierre Laval and key administrators of the Vichy government policies
- Milice (Vichy Police) and roles of Joseph Darnand and Rene Bousquet in the deportation of French Jews to the concentration camps after 1941
- Treason trials of the collaborators after the liberation of Paris in August 1944 and reasons for so many controversies and differences of opinion by contemporaries and later historians
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Gain an understanding of the circumstances in 1940 which led to Petain’s decision to surrender and collaborate with the Nazi government.
- Discuss the complexities involved in the treason trials of Petain, Pierre Laval, Fernand de Brinon and others in 1945
- Consider the short term and longer term impact of the events up to 2025
