On May
10, 1940, Germany began invading the nations to its west. The advanced and overpowering German
army cut through France using blitzkrieg tactics. In six weeks, France was defeated, and Germany
had gained control of France. The result was also the collapse of the French
government.
At the outbreak of the war, the French leader was Paul Reynaud.
Reynaud would resign on June 16, 1940, and would be replaced by Marshal Philippe P©tain.
Technically it was P©tain who was running the government in France, known as the Vichy
government based on its capital. Vichy France worked closely with the Nazis in an agreement to
avoid further conflict with them.
There was, however, also a government in
exile. French military leader, Charles de Gaulle, led the government in exile from Britain
during the war. Charles de Gaulle encouraged his countrymen back in France to resist the German
occupation. De Gaulle would also become leader of France's provisional government as France was
liberated from Nazi occupation in 1944.
No comments:
Post a Comment