Government of Vichy France: Difference between revisions

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The Government of Vichy France was the ruling regime or government in Nazi-occupied France during the Second World War. Of contested legitimacy, it was headquartered in the town of Vichy in occupied France, but it initially took shape in Paris under Maréchal Philippe Petain as the successor to the French Third Republic in June 1940. Pétain spent four years in Vichy and with the rest of the French cabinet fled into exile in Germany in September 1944 following the Allied invasion of France. It operated as a government-in-exile until April 1945, when the city was taken by Free French forces. Pétain was brought back to France, now under control of the Provisional French Republic, and put on trial for treason.

After President Albert Lebrun appointed Pétain prime minister on 16 June, the government signed an armistice with Germany on 22 June 1940.

With France fallen to the Germans, the British judged the risk was too high of the French Navy falling into German hands, and in the attack on Mers-el-Kébir on 3 July 1940 sank one battleship and damaged five others, also killing 1,297 French servicemen. Pétain severed diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 8 July.

The next day the National Assembly voted to revise the constitution, and the following day, 10 July, the National Assembly granted absolute power to Pétain, thus ending the French Third Republic.^[1]

Pétain established an authoritarian government at Vichy,^[2] with central planning a key feature, as well as tight government control. In retaliation for the attack at Mers el Kébir, French aircraft raided Gibraltar on 18 July but did little damage.

Until the invasion by Nazi Germany in the Second World War, the French Third Republic had been the government of France since the defeat of Napoleon III and the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. It was dissolved by the French Constitutional Law of 1940 which gave Pétain the power to write a new constitution. He interpreted this to mean that the previous constitution, outlined in the French Constitutional Laws of 1875, no longer constrained him.

In the wake of the Battle of France that culminated in the disaster at Dunkirk, the French government relocated to Bordeaux on 10 June 1940 in order to avoid capture. They declared Paris an open city on that day also. On 22 June, France and Germany signed the Second Armistice at Compiègne. The Vichy government led by Pétain replaced the Third Republic and administered the zone libre in the south of France until November 1942, when Germans and Italians occupied the zone under Case Anton following the Allied landings in North Africa under Operation Torch. Germany occupied northern France and the Atlantic coast, and the Italians, a small territory in the southeast.

At the time of the armistice the French and the Germans both thought Britain would come to terms any day, so only temporary arragements were made. France agreed to its soldiers remaining prisoners of war until hostilities ceased. The terms of the armistice sketch out a "French State" (État français), whose sovereignty and authority in practice were limited to the free zone, although in theory it administered all of France. The military administration of the occupied zone was in fact a Nazi dictatorship, which annexed the free zone after Case Anton, Germany's respose 11 November 1942 to Operation Torch, the Allied landings in French North Africa on 8 November 1942.

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The fifth government formed by Pierre Laval was the first administration formed by Pétain under the Vichy regime after the vote of 10 July 1940 ceded full constituent^{[clarification needed]} powers to Pétain. The government ended on 13 December 1940 with Laval's dismissal. This administration was not recognized as legitimate by the Empire Defense Council of the government of Free France, which the British Government recognized as the legitimate government of France.

The government of Philippe Pétain signed the armistice with Germany on 22 June 1940, put an end to the Third Republic on 10 July 1940 by a vote conveying full powers to Pétain and followed up with three Vichy Constitutional Acts ^[fr] on 11 July. Meanwhile, on 11 July General de Gaulle created the Empire Defense Council, which was recognized by the British Government as the legitimate successor of the Third Republic, which had allied itself with Great Britain in the war against the Nazis.

On 12 July 1940 Pétain named Pierre Laval, second Minister of State of the last government of the Third Republic under Philippe Pétain^[3] as vice-president of the Council.^[4], while Pétain remained simultaneously head of state and head of government. Constitutional Act #4 made Laval next in the line of succession should something happen to Pétain.^[5] On 16 July, Pétain formed the first government of the Vichy régime and kept Pierre Laval on as vice-president of the Council.

• Head of the French State, President of the Council^[6], Philippe Pétain.
• Vice president of the Council in charge of Information (18 July 1940)^[7] and secretary of state for foreign afairs from 28 octobre 1940 (dismissed 13 décembre 1940) : Pierre Laval
• Keeper of the Seals (Garde des Sceaux) and Minister Secretary of State for Justice (until January 1941): Raphaël Alibert
• Minister Secretary of State for Finance (until April 1942): Yves Bouthillier
• Minister Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (until 28 October 1940), then Minister Secretary of State for the President of the Council (28 October 1940–2 January 1941)^[8]: Paul Baudouin
• Secretary of State for Food and Agriculture, then Minister of Agriculture (December 1940-April 1942): Pierre Caziot
• Minister Secretary of State for Industrial Production and Labour (until February 1941), then Minister of Labour (until April 1942): René Belin
• Minister Secretary of State for National Defence (dismissed from the Government as of September 1940): General Maxime Weygand (then Delegate General in North Africa and Commander-in-Chief of the French forces in North Africa until November 1941)
• Secretary of State for War (Army) (discharged from the government as of September 1940: General Louis Colson ^[fr]
• Secretary of State for Aviation (dismissed from the government as of September 1940: General Bertrand Pujo ^[fr]
• Secretary of State, then Minister of the Navy: Admiral François Darlan
• Minister Secretary of State for the Interior (dismissed from the government as of September 1940 as a former parliamentarian): Adrien Marquet
• Minister Secretary of State for Public Education and Fine Arts (dismissed from the government as of September 1940 because he was a former parliamentarian): Émile Mireaux
• Minister Secretary of State for Family and Youth (dismissed from the government as of September 1940 as a former parliamentarian): Jean Ybarnegaray
• Minister Secretary of State for Communications (dismissed from the government as of September 1940 as a former parliamentarian): François Piétri
• Minister Secretary of State for the Colonies (dismissed from the government as of September 1940 as a former parliamentarian): Henry Lémery

The following joined on 16 July 1940:

• Secretary General for Justice: Georges Dayras ^[fr]
• Secretary General for Public Finance: Henri Deroy ^[fr]
• Secretary General to the Presidency of the Council: Jean Fernet ^[fr]
• Secretary General for Economic Affairs: Olivier Moreau-Néret ^[fr]
• Secretary General for Public Works and Transport: Maurice Schwartz (politician) ^[fr]

The following joined in September 1940, replacing eight dismissed ministers:

• Minister of the Interior : Marcel Peyrouton
• Minister of War (September 1940) and Commander-in-Chief of the Land Forces (until November 1941): General Charles Huntziger
• Secretary of State for Aviation: General Jean Bergeret (Military) ^{[fr; fr]}
• Secretary of State for Communications (until April 1942: Jean Berthelot ^[fr]
• Secretary of State for Public Education and Youth (until 13 December 1940: Georges Ripert
• Secretary of State for the Colonies (until April 1942: Admiral Charles Plato ^[fr]
• Secretary General for Youth: Georges Lamirand ^[fr]

The following were appointed on 18 November 1940:

• Secretary General of the Head of State: Auguste Laure ^[fr]

The second government of Pierre-Étienne Flandin was the second government of the Vichy regime in France, formed by Philippe Pétain. It succeeded the first Pierre Laval government on 14 December 1940 and ended on 9 February 1941.

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The majority of ministers, secretaries, and delegates were carried over from the Laval government that ended 13 December 1940.

• Head of the French State, Council President: Philippe Pétain.
• Guardian of the Seals and Minister-Secretary of the State for Justice (until January 1941): Raphaël Alibert
• Minister of Finance (until April 1942): Yves Bouthillier
• Minister-Secretary of the State to the Council President's Office (28 October 1940 to 2 January 1941) and Minister of Information (December 1940 to 2 January 1941): Paul Baudouin
• Minister of Agriculture (December 1940 to April 1942): Pierre Caziot
• Minister of Industrial Production and Labour (until February 1941): René Belin
• Delegate General to North Africa and commander in chef of Vichy forces in North Africa (until November 1941): General Maxime Weygand
• Minister of the Marine: Admiral François Darlan
• Minister of the Interior: Marcel Peyrouton
• Minister of War (September 1940) and Commander in chief of ground forces (until November 1941): General Charles Huntziger
• Secretary of the State for Aviation: General Jean Bergeret
• Secretary of the State for Communications (until April 1942): Jean Berthelot [fr]
• Secretary of the State for the Colonies (until April 1942): Admiral Charles Platon
• Secretary General for Justice: Georges Dayras [fr]
• Secretary General for Public Finance: Henri Deroy [fr]
• Secretary General to the Office of Council President: Jean Fernet [fr]
• Secretary General for Youth: Georges Lamirand [fr]
• Secretary General of the Head of State: Auguste Laure [fr]
• Secretary General for Economic Questions: Olivier Moreau-Néret [fr]
• Secretary General for Transport and Public Works: Maurice Schwarz

• Vice-President of the Council and Minister for Foreign Affairs: Pierre-Étienne Flandin
• Minister of National Education: Jacques Chevalier
• Secretary of State for Supplies: Jean Achard (politician) ^[fr]
• Secretary General for Public Instruction: Adolphe Terracher ^[fr]

• Keeper of the Seals and Minister Secretary of State for Justice (January 1941 - resigned March 1943): Joseph Barthélemy

• Secretary General for Procurement: Jacques Billiet ^[fr]

After two years at the head of the Vichy government, Admiral Darlan was unpopular and had strengthened ties with Vichy forces, in an expanded collaboration with Germany which seemed to him the least bad solution, and had conceded a great deal, turning over the naval bases at Bizerte and Dakar, an air base in Aleppo in Syria, as well as vehicles, artillery and ammunition in North Africa and Tunisia, in addition to arming the Iraqis. In exchange Darlan wanted the Germans to reduce the constraints under the armistice, free French prisoners, and eliminate the ligne de démarcation. This irritated the Germans. On 9 March 1942, Hitler signed a decree giving France a chief of the SS and police leader (HSSPF) tasked with organizing the "Final Solution", following the Wannsee Conference with the French police. The Germans demanded the return of Laval to power, and broke off contact. The Americans intervened on March 30 to prevent another Laval administration.

This article is in the process of being translated from Gouvernement Pierre Laval (6) in the French-language Wikipedia. In order to reduce edit conflicts, please consider not editing it while translation is in progress.

The sixth administration of Pierre Laval was the fourth and final government formed by the Vichy régime in France by Pétain. It succeeded the administration of François Darlan on 18 April 1942 and ended on 19 August 1944, when Pétain agreed to leave Vichy for Belfort, ending the Vichy régime, although it persisted a few more months in Germany as the Sigmaringen commission.

In July 1942, the French head of the Vichy police René Bousquet reached an agreement with SS general Carl Oberg, Polizeiführer, on Avenue Foch in Paris. Bousquet saw it as maintaining the "independance" of the French police and argued in favor of répression à la française. Indeed, the civilian population, particularly foreign Jews, first to be victimized by repression, distrusted the French authorities somewhat less than the Gestapo. But this independence remained elusive, as it relied on incresed collaboration between the two police forces. Bousquet was in the end removed and replaced by Joseph Darnand, head of the Milice, who completed the Vichy police state.

This article contains a translation of Collaboration policière sous le régime de Vichy from fr.wikipedia.

This article contains a translation of Commission_gouvernementale_de_Sigmaringen from fr.wikipedia.

On 17 August 1944, Pierre Laval, head of government and minister of foreign affairs, held his last council of government with five ministers.^[9] With permission from the Germans, he attempted to call back the prior National Assembly with the goal of giving it power^[10] and thus impeding the communists and de Gaulle.^[11] So he obtained the agreement of German ambassador Otto Abetz to bring Édouard Herriot, (President of the Chamber of Deputies) back to Paris.^[11] But ultra-collaborationists Marcel Déat and Fernand de Brinon protested this to the Germans, who changed their minds^[12] and took Laval to Belfort^[13] along with the remains of his government, "to assure its legitimate security", and arrested Herriot.^[14]

The liberation of France in 1944 dissolved the Vichy government. The Provisional Consultative Assembly requested representation, leading to the Provisional Government of the French Republic (French: Gouvernement provisoire de la République française, GPRF), also known as the French Committee of National Liberation. Past collaborators were discredited and Gaullism and communism became political forces.

De Gaulle led the GPRF 1944-1946 while negotiations took place for a new constitution, to be put to a referendum. De Gaulle advocated a presidential system of government, and criticized the reinstatement of what he pejoratively called "the parties system".^{[citation needed]} He resigned in January 1946 and was replaced by Felix Gouin of the French Section of the Workers' International (Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO). Only the French Communist Party (Parti communiste français, PCF) and the socialist SFIO supported the draft constitution, which envisaged a form of unicameralism. This constitution was rejected in the 5 May 1946 referendum.

French voters adopted the constitution of the Fourth Republic on 13 October 1946.

After the fall of France on 25 June 1940 many French colonies were initially loyal to Vichy. But eventually the overseas empire helped liberate France; 300,000 North African Arabs fought in the ranks of the Free French.^[15] Somaliland, an exception, got a governor loyal to Vichy on 25 July. It surrendered to Free French forces on 26 December 1942.

Operation Torch on 8 November landed Allied troops at Oran, Algiers and Casablanca, to attack Vichy territories in North Africa -- Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia -- then take Axis forces in the Western esert in their rear from the east.^[16] Allied shipping had needed to supply troops in Africa via the Cape of Good Hope, so the Mediterranean ports were strategically valuable.

After the fall of France (25 June 1940) the colony was briefly in limbo until a governor loyal to the Vichy government was installed on 25 July. It was the last French possession in Africa to remain loyal to Vichy, surrendering to Free French forces only on 26 December 1942.

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The French State was quickly recognized by the Allies, as well as by the Soviet Union, until 30 June 1941 and Operation Barbarossa. However France broke with the United Kingdom after the destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir. Canada maintained diplomatic relations until the occupation of Southern France (Case Anton) by Germany and Italy in November 1942.^[17]

French India under Louis Bonvin announced after the fall of France that they would join the British and the French under Charles de Gaulle.^{[citation needed]}

Pétain never did promulgate a new constitution. The laws that laid the constitutional framework for his regime were declared nuls through the ordonnance of 9 August 1944 that re-established republican legality.

The United States gave Vichy full diplomatic recognition, and sent Admiral William D. Leahy as ambassador. President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull hoped to encourage elements in the Vichy government opposed to military collaboration with Germany. The Americans also wanted Vichy to resist German demands for its naval fleet or air bases in French-mandated Syria or to move war supplies through French territories in North Africa. Americans held that France should take no action not explicitly required by the armistice terms that could adversely affect Allied efforts in the war. The Americans ended relations with Vichy when Germany occupied all of France in late 1942.

The USSR maintained relations with Vichy until 30 June 1941, after the Nazis invaded Russia in Operation Barbarossa.

France for a long time took the position that the republic had been disbanded when power was turned over to Pétain, but officially admitted in 1995 complicity deporting of 76,000 Jews during WW II, when President Jacques Chirac, at the site of the Vélodrome d'Hiver, where 13,000 Jews had been rounded up for deportation to death camps in July 1942, said: "France, on that day [16 July 1942], committed the irreparable. Breaking its word, it handed those who were under its protection over to their executioners," he said. Those responsible for the roundup were "4500 policemen and gendarmes, French, under the authority of their leaders [who] obeyed the demands of the Nazis..... the criminal folly of the occupiers was seconded by the French, by the French state".^[18][19][20]

The police under Bousquet collaborated to the point where they themselves compiled the lists of Jewish residents, handed out yellow stars, and even requisitioned buses and SNCF trains to transport them to camps such as Drancy.

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