World History
A new window into a painful collaboration
After invading France during World War II on May 10, 1940, Nazi leaders set about controlling its government.
Parts of France were ruled by a Militärbefehlshaber (a military commander) and occupied by the German army. The remainder of France, however, was ruled by a French collaborationist government headed by Marshall Henri Philippe Pétain, a French hero from World War I. The capital of that government was the city of Vichy, and consequently the region of France it controlled was called Vichy France.
|
Divided and occupied France. |
Many atrocities were committed by the Vichy government, including helping the Nazis deport tens of thousands of Jews to Eastern Europe for their extermination in death camps.
Just yesterday, the French government declared that it would open access to archives containing records of that past. The national conversation France will have as it confronts evidence of its past association with Hitler's regime can be simulated in our classrooms later this spring. Show them yesterday's news story and the other articles linked to this blog post. Ask them to consider these questions: What was the moral thing for ordinary French people to do during Vichy France's rule? What was the practical thing to do? What would you have done if you lived in Vichy France during World War II?
-
History Of Saint Pierre And Miquelon
History of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. This is a short account of the history of this last remaining French territory in North America. While obscure today, the islands were important during the rum running days of American Prohibition as well a source...
-
History Of Djbouti
History of Djbouti. Despite the mispelling of the country name, this is a good overview to the history of the African nation of Djibouti. From the site: The Republic of Djibouti gained its independence on June 27, 1977. It is the successor to French Somaliland...
-
History Of France
History of France. This is an interesting (but uneven) overview to the history of the Eurpean nation of France. From the site: France was one of the earliest countries to progress from feudalism to the nation-state. Its monarchs surrounded themselves...
-
History Of Benin
History of Benin. This is a short but interesting history of Benin.
From the site:
Benin was the seat of one of the great medieval African kingdoms called Dahomey. Europeans began arriving in the area in the 18th century, as the kingdom of Dahomey...
-
History Of Algeria
History ofAlgeria This is a brief but well written essay on the history of Algeria.
From the site:
Since the 5th century B.C., the indigenous tribes of northern Africa (identified by the Romans as "Berbers") have been pushed back from the coast...
World History