For many French people in 1940, the arrival of the German army
meant "the collapse of civilization." Seven decades later, the
specifics of that collapse are largely forgotten; this book is a
remedy.When the Wehrmacht crossed the Maginot Line in May 1940,
most Parisians, remembering the Marne a generation before, assumed
that the theoretically superior French army would turn the invaders
back. "The confidence in victory that the media and the government
had projected until the very last minute," writes Diamond (French
History/Univ. of Bath), "meant that when they finally realized that
the Germans were likely to reach Paris, people had a very long way
to fall." Some four million persons in the Paris region abandoned
the city and its suburbs, choking every road out of the capital and
blocking necessary military traffic. The situation was much the
same throughout what would be called Occupied France, leaving the
population of Vichy burdened with millions of refugees. The
Germans, writes Diamond, urged these people to return: Not only did
their absence make the German occupiers look bad, but the missing
French also constituted a needed labor force in the grand plan to
integrate France's economy into that of the Reich. Diamond recounts
the terror and confusion of the first days of this mass migration,
considers contemporary social movements and conventions (for
instance, many refugees refused to flee to the colonies in North
Africa, she writes, because these were considered places for those
"who had committed some kind of indiscretion"), and looks at the
complexities involved in the German campaign to organize
repatriation, which was ultimately successful. Interestingly,
Diamond also assesses the lessons of that mass flight, which the
British government studied closely as an example of what not to do
when their turn came."How can we remember what we do not know?"
asks one French scholar. Diamond's book ably addresses these
long-ago events, which merit remembrance. (Kirkus Reviews)
Wednesday 12th June 1940. The Times reported 'thousands upon
thousands of Parisians leaving the capital by every possible means,
preferring to abandon home and property rather than risk even
temporary Nazi domination'. As Hitler's victorious armies
approached Paris, the French government abandoned the city and its
people, leaving behind them an atmosphere of panic. Roads heading
south filled with ordinary people fleeing for their lives with
whatever personal possessions they could carry, often with no
particular destination in mind. During the long, hard journey, this
mass exodus of predominantly women, children, and the elderly,
would face constant bombings, machine gun attacks, and even
starvation. Using eyewitness accounts, memoirs, and diaries, Hanna
Diamond shows how the disruption this exodus brought to the lives
of civilians and soldiers alike made it a defining experience of
the war for the French people. As traumatized populations returned
home, preoccupied by the desire for safety and bewildered by the
unexpected turn of events, they put their faith in Marshall Petain
who was able to establish his collaborative Vichy regime largely
unopposed, while the Germans consolidated their occupation.
Watching events unfold on the other side of the channel, British
ministers looked on with increasing horror, terrified that Britain
could be next.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
