Stanley Hoffmann, "Collaborationism in France during World War II" in The Journal of Modern History (Sept 1968), 375-395

Résumé du document

This article by Stanley Hoffmann from Harvard University, deals with the collaboration in France during the Second World War. The author enlightens the reader about this complex subject which did not receive sufficient study according to him. Hoffmann discusses the differences between several forms of collaborationism, the 'collaboration d'Etat', a French initiative, from 1940 to 1944, starting with the meeting of Marshal Pétain and Hitler on 24 October 1940 in Montoire, France.

Extraits

[...] But twenty pages are not enough to deal with one of the most complex and sensitive topic of the French History. To conclude, I would not recommend this work to students who have never examine the question of France during the occupation. But, on the other hand, it may help peers who already have some knowledge on the subject to go in detail. As this article is forty years old, I would recommend others work by specialist contemporary historian like Pascal Ory or Henri Amouroux among others. Thus, you will learn the new historical discoveries. [...]

[...] The active resistance in France counted in all 200,000 peoples, gathered together in several networks like the FFI (Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur) led by De Gaulle, FFL (Forces Françaises Libres), the PCF (le Parti Communiste Français), the CGT (Confédération Générale du Travail: a Union) and so on. So in order to improve his article, Hoffmann could explain the general situation of France, the population's life conditions during black years” and tackle the question of the French Resistance in and out of its borders. This way, the readers could better understand the context in which the France was in the time of collaboration. [...]

[...] Stanley Hoffmann, “Collaborationism in France during World War in The Journal of Modern History (Sept 1968), 375-395 This article by Stanley Hoffmann from Harvard University, deals with the collaboration in France during the Second World War. The author tries to enlighten the reader about this complex subject which did not receive a sufficient treatment according to him. Hoffmann discusses the differences between several forms of collaborationism: the “collaboration d'état”, a French initiative, from 1940 to 1944, starts with the meeting of Marshal Pétain and Hitler on 24 October 1940 in Montoire, France. [...]

[...] For Hoffmann, fiasco of the collaboration is the replica of the republican fiasco” (p.391). The diplomatic and strategic policy of appeasement by the Republic after World War the little interest and knowledge on the events in foreign countries, the split in government are reasons that can illustrate the quote above. The author's conclusion is that collaboration [ ] started as a reaction against [ ] the fallen regime ended as a reaction against France. The significance of collaboration was not quantitative but qualitative-the triumph of forced or enthusiastic masochism” (p.394-395). [...]

[...] They act as collaborationists for their personal promotion, elevator to power” (p.388). The conservatives of Vichy and the republicans before them, perceive them as marginal, “declasses-social misfits and political deviants”(p.389). From their side, they find Vichy government too reactionary, catholic and moralistic. Most of them take part in the feather's collaboration and write articles of propaganda in newspapers like L'Action Française of Maurras. The extreme right leagues also play an important role in the policy of collaboration. Although that they have some common interests and share many point of views like the rejection of the Third Republic or the hatred of groups such as the Freemasons, the Communists ,the Jews , the Parliamentarians and so on; there are differences between the collaborationists. [...]