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Few figures in modern French history have aroused more controversy than Marshal Philippe Pétain, who rose from obscurity to great fame in the First World War only to fall into infamy during the dark days of Nazi occupation in World War II. Pétain's brilliant theories of firepower and flexible defense, as well as his deep empathy for the soldiers of France and the horrific trials they endured on a daily basis, mark him as one of the greatest Allied generals of World War I. Yet today he is best remembered as the nearly senile marshal who was handed the reins of power in France in the midst of the disastrous 1940 campaign and tasked with seeking terms from Nazi Germany. His leadership of Vichy France from 1940 to 1944 and his postwar conviction of treason and lifetime exile to the Ile d'Yeu made him a scapegoat for the nation. This later perception forever tainted Pétain's military reputation as a soldier who served France his entire life and led the French Army through the crucible of Verdun, the morale crisis of 1917, and on to final victory in the Great War. He was despised for his actions as an octogenarian in June 1940. With the bulk of the French Army already destroyed and Paris itself wide-open to attack, Pétain, then eighty-four, immediately sought an armistice with Germany to halt further bloodshed. While others fled, Pétain took what he considered the braver course by staying and doing what he could to safeguard the remnants of his army and his nation. So began his descent into collaboration, treason, and the destruction of all that he had accomplished and stood for throughout his life.
Pétain (1856-1951) remains one of the most controversial figures in the history of modern France. He was saviour of his country at Verdun in 1916 during the First World War, but tried for treason as head of state of the collaborationist Vichy government after World War II. Were his actions those of a traitor? - or a patriot facing the total disintegration of his country? In exploring the actions of this controversial figure, Nicholas Atkin also reveals the divisions and uncertainties of France herself.
Charles Williams' major biography of Philippe Petain (1856-1951) tells of a peasant who became a Marshal of France and the Head of the Vichy State. A slow climb up the army ranks was leading inexorably to retirement when war broke out. He defended Verdun in 1916 and settled the mutinies in 1917. In May 1940, he realised that France had been defeated and requested an armistice. As head of unoccupied France, he jockeyed between Nazis, Allies and Vichy politicians until, in 1945, he returned to France to be tried for treason. His death sentence was commuted by General de Gaulle to life imprisonment. In recounting Petain's long life, Lord Williams, one of our most notable political biographers, has successfully illustrated the character of an extraordinary man.
From 1941 to 1943, the Jewish American writer and avant-garde icon Gertrude Stein translated for an American audience thirty-two speeches in which Marshal Philippe Petain, head of state for the collaborationist Vichy government, outlined the Vichy policy barring Jews and other "foreign elements" from the public sphere while calling for France to reconcile with its Nazi occupiers. Why and under what circumstances would Stein undertake such a project? The answers lie in Stein's link to the man at the core of this controversy: Bernard Faÿ, her apparent Vichy protector. Barbara Will outlines the formative powers of this relationship, treating their interaction as a case study of intellectual life during wartime France and an indication of America's place in the Vichy imagination.
As well as providing a detailed biography of Le Pen, the leader of the National Front in France, this book also explores the wider development of the extreme right as a significant intellectual and political force within France.
Marshal Philippe Pétain was, in the words of historian Andrew Roberts, 'the most controversial Frenchman of the twentieth century.' A truly distinguished soldier who rose from humble origins, he commanded French forces at Verdun in 1916 and became a national hero. But though by 1940 he had become French Deputy Prime Minister his political abilities were meagre. And after France fell to the Nazis it was Pétain who signed the armistice and, from the spa town of Vichy, ruled over the Etat Francais Hitler had left him. Richard Griffiths tells this sorry story in outstanding detail, all the way to Pétain's ignominious end, and not stinting to show his culpability in the Vichy persecution of French Jews and its suppression of the internal Resistance. 'Petain, utterly obscure until the age of 58, was hurled to fame by his defence of Verdun in 1916. This saved his country's bacon (he would say her honour) at a crisis point of the Great War. Thereafter he became an almost monarchical figure, more revered than any living Frenchman, even after the disaster of 1940. But then, as head of the puppet Vichy government, he slid into ignominy after failing to square honour with military humiliation. Griffiths's durable biography... paints not a devil but a courageous, misguided man with a hole where others keep their political acumen.' Robin Blake, Independent
A brilliant study of France and French military power through four generations. The careers of the two Marshalls span the years from Napoleon’s downfall to Verdun and Vichy France. “This biography of two soldiers of France is, in effect, a history of the French Army for a hundred years, as well as portraiture of marked differences and striking contrasts. There are strong touches of irony and emphasis in Bazaine’s life and army career, his strength, and innocence in face of public blame following the surrender at Metz in 1870 — and Pétain’s, whose weakness and mediocrity contrast baldly with his predecessor. “The first Marshal was made a scapegoat by his defeated country, and when the second Marshal came to power, the scapegoat was France”. The elaborate sketching of background material, the bird’s eye views of each successive era in French history provide a three-dimensional setting for each man. Bazaine’s is a more thorough characterization, for Petain’s seems more often guesswork and speculation through lack of early factual material. However there is justice and judgement in this study of “the psychology of defeat” and Guedalla’s lively style and personal approach to his subjects is good reading.”-Kirkus Reviews
A catalogue made by collectors for collectors. This year the Spink Maury Catalogue, heir to the prestigious Maury, Ceres and Dallay catalogues, continues its work of research, compiled over generations of philately. It covers all French stamps from 1849 to the present day, offering hundreds of changes – with oddities, new varieties and discoveries presented, as always, in an exceptional way. Included in the new material is the continuation of the monographic studies, presenting a stamp per page with all varieties known until the First World War; a redesign of types Merson and Pasteur; and a specialised part devoted to Marianne de Beaujard, reviewed in depth. In addition the section on current usage stamps (TUC) is fully updated following feedback from our contributors and readers. France has one of the most beautiful philatelic legacies in the world, and we are pleased to be its modest ambassador to the numerous international readers who join us each year. “Layout and coverage are sumptuous … The trite phrase “mine of information” does not begin to do justice to this immense achievement. To any collector of France beyond the elementary stage, this would be a bargain at twice the official retail price … Highly recommended. ….an absolute must for collectors of French stamps…” Michael Round, Journal of the France & Colonies Philatelic Society