History Of The Vichy Regime

The Vichy Regime was the French government that came after the Third Republic in the year 1940 (Editors, 1). Many historians say Vichy France was a very dark and unfortunate time. Vichy was a wartime government in a town south of Paris called Vichy. It was established by Marshal Philippe Pétain after France surrendered to Germany on June 22, 1940 (Editors, 1). On the same day, France was divided into two zones: one to be under German military occupation and one to be left to the French. There were, however, a few zones of France unoccupied (Holocaust). Not too long after the new government was made, Pierre Laval joined it and soon became the main architect of the regime (Editors, 2). Laval was the man who granted Petain to create a new constitution so he would have full legislative and executive powers in the French State (McMahon). Petain was a beloved hero from World War II. Even though the Vichy government lasted four years, there was never a new constitution (McMahon, 1). Vichy France, known as the “French State”, would rule the south and most of France’s oversea colonies would remain loyal to Vichy.

There was a time where Laval fell from power due to a close collaboration with the Germans. Petain and a man by the name of Charles Maurras wrote that Vichy was on a period of attentisme, or to wait and see, with their conflicting country, Germany (McMahon). For a while, Vichy was a corporative state and the slogan “Liberty, equality, fraternity” changed to “Work, family, fatherland” (McMahon). In April of 1942, Germany was at war with the Soviet Union and the United States and Laval had returned to power. “Many leaders in the Vichy government continued to be powerful after the German takeover in 1942, and the period of V...

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...the area (Case).

This may have surprised some people but it does not surprise me. It would take a very cold hearted and mean person to be able to treat people like this and lead them to their death. Not just people, but innocent people and children, just because they were Jewish. Knowing that they were leading human beings to brutal living conditions and eventually their death had to have taken a toll of many of the officers, thus leading to some of them helping in secrecy, which was the right thing to do.

Learning about the Vichy government was a struggle, but a very interesting topic. Knowing that two men can control a whole government is frightening. Overall, the Vichy government was just a dark time in France. From France being split into two halves and having the Vel’d’Hiv, the Vichy government did more harm than help and I think many historians realize that.