phoney war/ drôle de guerre
3 september 1939
begging of the poney war
exchange of declaration of war 2 days after the invasion of Poland
defensive strategy: Maginot line invincible
no fights during 8 months
consequence of the phoney war
inaction+winter= deserting
patriotic momentum faded
exemple of patriotic momentum that existed during WW1 but not WW2
l’union sacré: national union about the necessity of solidarity amongst French
French politicians who contributed to the inaction plan
Edward Daladier PM: march 1938 to February 1939: had to resign: inaction humiliated French
Paul Renaud: new PM: inactive as well
end of phony war
10 may 1940
German offensive in france
offensive through: Netherlands+Belgium+ardennes by illegal by pass of Maginot line and neutral country
use of blitzkrieg very efficient
Germans entering Paris
14 June 1939
nimber of French soldiers killed during German offensive beginning war
60 000 in 5 weeks + 2M prisoners
consequence of German invasion on civilians
bombings + fights+chaos entailed
many moved: N-E to S-W: l’exode
evacuation of allies troops
Br and part of FR croups evacuated fr from Belgium+ N of fr (port of Dunkerque)
destroyed French navy to prevent its use by germans
capitulation of the French government
French assembly moved to bordeaux
after two weeks of debate: asked for negotiations and cease fire
Paul Renaud who wanted to fight on replace by Pétain
Pétain
WW1 hero
popular in France+ expert in defensive strategy
respected in Germany as war hero+ old so no political carrer: neutral
21 june 1940
armistice signed in Rethondes in the same train as after WW1
1 July 1940
petain + gov: settled in vichy, free part of French territory
advantage vichy
balenar city: hotel turned into ministers
10 July 1940
parlement voted delegation full powers to Pétain
3 republic suspended: beginning of “l’état français”
October 1940
montoir’s meeting: petain met hitler for a few minutes
beginning of collaboration: petain expected france to become 1st ally of germany
cooperation
active help of germany in their '“fight for europe”
revolution nationale
reactionary program inspired by nazi regime
new French moto
famille: women back home
travail: anti-socialist
patrie: nationalist
retains defeat theory
defeat= consequence of democracy: leads to individualism: discipline decline
way to restore French grandeur according to petain
revive the traditional values and order through a reactionary regime that went back in time, reviewing the emancipation of women
catholic churchu reaction to pertains regime
priests and bishops opposed
ways to control French society and support military germany
-milice
-special battalions: legion tricolore/ legion anti-bolsheviks
-work for germany
-sto
milice
équivalent of the gestapo in the free part of france, arrest and execute opponents
working for germany
germany offered to free prisoners in exchange of workers: 1w=1P, 2=1 until 4=1
STO
P.laval 1942: service de travail obligatoire
4 October 1942
beginning French antisemitism inspired by nuremberg laws: statut des juifs: excluded them from important public jobs
7 june 1942
mendatory wearing yellow star for children above 3y/o
16 and 17 July 1942
30k jews arrested in Paris in velodrome d’hiver: most of them deported to auschwitz
8 june 1940
de gaulle: unknown in the military: first speech in London: encouraged French to join him and keep fighting
insisted on: global dimension war, imperial dimension of france, alliance French and British
none listening but still symbol of resistance
may 1940
FFL: force française libre, direct resisters to join British forces and french colonial troops: important support in victory of El Alamein Libya
political resisters
communists (++ Barbarossa operation), right wind (patriots, nationalists), democrats and republicans
religious resisters
jews, some catholics (nazi values incompatible with faith)
resisters because of personal reasons
gay, civil servants, young men selected for sto
2 significant waves that increased number of resisters along the war
41: Barbarossa
42: STO
resisters statu
clandestin: chased and arrested
many had to disappear: “les maquisards”/ “le maquis”
1942 résistance
de gaulle recognized by British as “head go government in exile”
army created by degaule with support of Britain
FFL + FFI (inner resistance)
jean moulin
former préfet, went back to France to meet resisters and coordinate their actions; helped creation CNR, arrested and died in train for Auschwitz
CNR
1943: conseil national de la resistance: liberation of france, what government after work, organization of the inner resistance: key role allies landing and liberation Paris
August 1944
resistance organized walks, ceremonies, speeches to celebrate return of French Republic embodied by degaulle
content of degaulle’s discourse about France
made it ever united, ever fighting, and great winner
CPRF
gouvernement provisoire de la république française, CNR after the war until dissolve in January 1946
focused on: continuing the fight against gr, restoring republican order in france