Vichy France
On the 10th of July 1940, a joint session of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies gathered in the quiet spa town of Vichy. They voted 569 to 80 to grant full powers to Marshal Philippe Pétain. This single act dissolved the Third Republic and created the French State. Pierre Laval and Raphaël Alibert campaigned aggressively to secure these votes. They promised ministerial posts to some deputies while threatening others with arrest or violence. Twenty senators and deputies had fled on the ship Massilia to North Africa and could not participate in the decision. Léon Blum, one of the few who voted no, later wrote that Laval's goal was to cut all roots binding France to its republican past. The Constitutional Law of the 10th of July 1940 gave Pétain legislative, judicial, administrative, and diplomatic authority. He immediately suspended democratic liberties and reestablished the crime of opinion. Critics were frequently arrested for their thoughts alone.
Pétain used his radio broadcasts to portray himself as a Christ-like figure sacrificing himself for France. His speeches blamed political liberalism and hedonism for the national defeat. He replaced Marianne, the symbol of the republic, with Joan of Arc, the devout Catholic patriot. School textbooks required by the regime declared that angelic voices spoken by Joan were literal history. One textbook insisted girls should practice patience and resignation rather than follow Joan's military example. The national motto Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité disappeared from official documents. It was replaced by Travail, Famille, Patrie, meaning Work, Family, Homeland. This phrase also stood for forced labor in perpetuity under criminal law. The government celebrated the Gaulish chieftain Vercingetorix as the founder of the French nation. They claimed the defeat of 1940 would unify the nation just as the Battle of Alesia had done centuries earlier. The francisque insignia featured a baton and double-headed hatchet arranged to resemble the fasces of Italian Fascists.
Germany occupied northern metropolitan France and all the Atlantic coastline down to the border with Spain. The rest of France remained unoccupied but under strict German supervision. Two million French soldiers became prisoners of war and were sent to camps in Germany. About half worked in German agriculture where food rations were adequate. Others labored in factories or mines under much harsher conditions. The Armistice Army stationed in the south numbered only 3,768 officers and 75,360 men. All members had to be volunteers despite severe shortages. The army lacked tanks and motorized transport. Cavalry units struggled without horses or modern equipment. Surviving recruiting posters emphasized horsemanship and rural virtues instead of military strength. The Germans demanded that France turn over any German citizens within its borders upon request. This term was considered dishonorable by the French government but they accepted it to avoid total occupation.
French colonies across Africa, Asia, and the Americas became battlegrounds for competing allegiances. Governor Louis Alexis Étienne Bonvin declared French India would continue fighting with British allies immediately after the fall of France. A referendum on the 2nd of September 1940 in Tahiti and Moorea voted 5,564 to 18 to join Free French forces. American forces later built a naval refueling base and airstrip on Bora Bora using nine ships carrying 5,000 soldiers. In Gabon, Vichy troops resisted Allied invasion until the 12th of November 1940 when final surrender occurred at Port-Gentil. French Somaliland remained neutral under Governor Paul Legentilhomme until January 1942 when Britain lifted its blockade. Syria and Lebanon fell to British and Commonwealth forces during Operation Exporter between June and July 1941. Madagascar required six months of fighting to secure from Japanese use as a potential base. North Africa saw massive conflict starting the 8th of November 1942 when Operation Torch began landings in Morocco and Algeria. Admiral François Darlan initiated cooperation with Allies after being assassinated by Bonnier de La Chapelle on the 24th of December 1942.
Vichy France maintained diplomatic relations with most Axis powers and neutral nations including the United States and Soviet Union until mid-1941. Moscow broke ties on the 30th of June 1941 after Vichy expressed support for Operation Barbarossa. Canada kept full diplomatic relations until early November 1942 when Case Anton led to complete German occupation of southern France. Switzerland and other neutral states maintained relations until liberation in 1944. Washington sent Admiral William D. Leahy as American ambassador hoping to influence Vichy policy. President Franklin D. Roosevelt regarded Pétain as an apprentice dictator but hoped to prevent French territories falling into German hands. The US position remained hesitant and inconsistent throughout the war years. Britain severed diplomatic relations on the 8th of July 1940 following the attack on Mers-el-Kébir which killed over 1,300 French sailors. This naval engagement destroyed or damaged several French warships that had refused British demands to avoid capture.
French police under René Bousquet rounded up Jews and other undesirables at Nazi direction. At least 72,500 Jews deported from Vichy France were killed in Nazi concentration camps. Most victims were foreigners while only about 24,000 Jews of French origin perished. The Milice paramilitary force created on the 30th of January 1943 hunted resistance fighters and collaborators alike. In North Africa after Operation Torch, Darlan maintained repressive systems including concentration camps in southern Algeria. Jewish children were prohibited from attending schools even though this measure was not implemented in metropolitan France. Jewish goods were stolen through a process called aryanization by Pierre Gazagne's special service. The Cremieux decree granting citizenship to Algerian Jews was repealed until restored by de Gaulle in 1943. Four senior Vichy officials faced trials for crimes against humanity despite many participating in deportations and abuses.
Free French forces grew stronger throughout the occupation working largely in concert with London-based movements. Charles de Gaulle issued his Appeal of the 18th of June 1940 radio address establishing the Free French Forces foundation. The Provisional Government of the French Republic installed itself as new national government after liberation began in 1944. Pétain fled into exile in Sigmaringen where last exiles were captured in April 1945. He stood trial for treason before being sentenced to death which was commuted to life imprisonment. Georges Bidault refused to declare restoration of republic at Hôtel de Ville on the 25th of August 1944 because it had never legally ceased to exist. The Ordinance of the 9th of August 1944 expunged all trappings of legality from the Vichy regime declaring constitutional documents void ab initio. Most legislators who voted full powers to Pétain were condemned individually after Liberation ended.
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Common questions
When did Vichy France officially begin and who granted full powers to Marshal Philippe Pétain?
Vichy France officially began on the 10th of July 1940 when a joint session of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies voted 569 to 80 to grant full powers to Marshal Philippe Pétain. This vote dissolved the Third Republic and created the French State under Pétain's authority.
What was the national motto of Vichy France and how did it differ from the Third Republic?
The national motto of Vichy France was Travail, Famille, Patrie meaning Work Family and Homeland. This phrase replaced Liberté Egalité Fraternité and stood for forced labor in perpetuity under criminal law rather than democratic values.
How many Jews were deported from Vichy France and killed in Nazi concentration camps during the regime?
At least 72,500 Jews were deported from Vichy France and killed in Nazi concentration camps while about 24,000 Jews of French origin perished. Most victims were foreigners and Jewish children were prohibited from attending schools even though this measure was not implemented in metropolitan France.
When did Free French forces establish their foundation and who issued the initial radio address?
Free French forces established their foundation on the 18th of June 1940 when Charles de Gaulle issued his Appeal of the 18th of June 1940 radio address. The Provisional Government of the French Republic later installed itself as the new national government after liberation began in 1944.
Which countries severed diplomatic relations with Vichy France and when did Britain cut ties?
Britain severed diplomatic relations with Vichy France on the 8th of July 1940 following the attack on Mers-el-Kébir which killed over 1,300 French sailors. Moscow broke ties on the 30th of June 1941 after Vichy expressed support for Operation Barbarossa and Canada kept full diplomatic relations until early November 1942.