In 1940, however, France was anything but victorious. Hitler invaded and crushed an army that had largely trusted the ideas that had led to victory in 1918. The nation in defeat faced a horrible dilemma. Philippe Pétain proposed a solution. His treaty with Hitler may have saved France from annihilation. His treaty also created a France allied with the Fascists. Many Frenchmen would have none of this, and they would no longer have any of Pétain. The hero of 1918 became the traitor of 1940. Every French city today has a street named for Clemenceau or Roosevelt or Eisenhower. None has a street named Pétain. Upon the liberation of 1944 and 1945, Pétain was arrested and tried for treason. He was sentenced to death by Guillotine. Only his glory from 1918 saved him and he was sent to exile in the prison of the Citadelle of Yeu. These stark halls were those that saw his last days on earth.
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This page last updated on 6/19/2003 9:11:25 PM.