Vichy France was a government based in Vichy during WWII, lasting from 1940 to 1944. It was criticized for cooperating with Nazi Germany and participating in Nazi activities. After liberation, France established a new government and tried members of the Vichy regime.
The term “Vichy France” reflects a period in French history that many historians consider both dark and unfortunate. It refers to a wartime government based in the city of Vichy, south of Paris. The government lasted from July 1940 to 1944, when Allied liberation took place. Many leaders in the Vichy government continued to be powerful after the German takeover in 1942, and the period of Vichy rule in France was widely criticized afterwards.
The roots of Vichy France can be found in the initial German invasion of France, in 1940. In a very short period of time, the French realized they could not fight the invading German forces, and an armistice agreement was eventually reached between the two nations. reached up. Under the terms of the armistice, the Germans completely occupied the northern region of France, leaving the administration of the southern region of France to the French government.
In 1940, the National Assembly voted to offer Marshal Pétain unprecedented powers. The circumstances of this vote may not have been entirely legal, but the end result was the establishment of Vichy France, which was in theory a government independent of the Germans. History suggests otherwise, however, as it is clear that the Vichy government reached multiple agreements with Hitler and that it participated in Nazi activities in both northern and southern France. The government was essentially forced to do this, as it was clear that otherwise Germany would quickly dominate France.
Vichy France called itself L’État Français “the French state”, to separate itself from the Third Republic. The government has also abandoned the traditional French motto “Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood” in favor of “Work, Family, Country”. In France, the Vichy government was opposed both by extremist partisans seeking a fascist state and by people like Charles de Gaulle, who wanted to restore the French Republic.
Cooperation between Nazi Germany and the Vichy regime may have been quite extensive. In 1942, Vichy France was technically dissolved, as Germany took control of the entire French nation, but it is clear that the remnants of the Vichy government and its officials continued to hold power in France. After liberation in 1944, France responded with a wave of anger against the “collaborators”, resulting in executions, public humiliations and general social chaos. A provisional government was quickly established, which eventually tried members of the Vichy regime and set up a new permanent government for France.
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