The diplomacy of Vichy: June 1940 to November 1942

Résumé du document

The history of Vichy has been subjected to heated controversies since 1945. In the years that followed the liberation, most historians and politicians alleged that France had resisted to the German, and developed a myth, the "Resistantialisme". This term implies that the majority of the French population considered the Germans as enemies, and that they were in favour of the victory of the Allied. For instance, Vercors became a prominent writer with his novel, Le silence de la Mer, which tells the history of a French girl who refuses to talk to a German officer. Nevertheless, in the seventies, the myth of Resistantialisme foundered with the Publication of Paxton's book, Vichy France, which demonstrates that the French government had collaborated with the Germans. The majority of historians who has studied Vichy's regim focus on the most obvious aspects of collaboration: an administrative school to provide the administration with high civil servants, the propaganda made by Vichy and his will to create a society based on traditional values (with the famous slogan: Travail, Famille, Patrie).

Extraits

[...] Therefore, Pétain pronounces a famous speech on October 30th, with this famous phrase: “J'entre dans la voie de la collaboration”. The men of Vichy tried to convince Berlin that they were deeply in favour of collaboration and that their links with Great Britain were very modest. As a way of example, Laval promised to Abetz on the 16 of November that he will inform the Germans of every Anglo-French negotiation. But the policy” turned out to be a failure. Even if Laval had established a positive relation between France and Germany, the concessions he had “wangled” were too modest. [...]

[...] The diplomacy of Vichy June 1940 / November 1942 The history of Vichy has been subjected to heated controversies since 1945. In the years that followed the liberation, most historians and politicians alleged that France had resisted to the German, and developed a myth, the “Resistantialisme”. This term implies that the majority of the French population considered the Germans as enemies, and that they were in favour of the victory of the Allied. For instance, Vercors became a prominent writer with his novel, Le silence de la Mer, which tells the history of a French girl who refuses to discuss with a German officer. [...]

[...] But like Laval before him, Darlan has been credulous; indeed, Hitler was not willing to make some concessions, he only wished to benefit from the French empire to overcome the British in Africa. The compromise reached with the French in the Protocols of Paris was not the beginning of a deeper collaboration. Still, Darlan saw in the Protocol a “first step towards a happier future in our two lands”. He probably thought that the Protocol was the first step toward a new continental system, dominated by Germany, with other strong satellites, like France. [...]

[...] Moreover, since the defeat of Syria, Darlan had been aware of the need to obtain broad German concession in order to remain on power. For instance, he refused to meet the exigencies of the second part of the Protocols of Paris, which was meant to supply Rommel through Tunisia unless the Germans made some concessions. Nevertheless, he refused to abandon the Protocols of Paris, and on the 14th of July, he presented to the German a note which was meant to “releasing France from the restraints of the armistice and restoring normal relations with Germany”. [...]

[...] Did Vichy's policies changed radically after the collapse of Laval? Was Pétain really willing to put an end to further collaboration with Germany, as Abetz thought? Contrary to what Abetz thought, the collapse of Laval was not meant to abandon the collaboration between Germany and Great Britain. Indeed, even if Flandin was considered as pro-English, his foreign policy proved to be radically in favour of a deeper collaboration with Germany. And Flandin failed in his attempt of developing positive relations with Germany, that is why he was dismissed on the 9th of June. [...]