france and French during WW2

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