Marshal Philippe Petain was, in the words of historian Andrew
Roberts, 'the most controversial Frenchman of the twentieth
century.' A truly distinguished soldier who rose from humble
origins, he commanded French forces at Verdun in 1916 and became a
national hero. But though by 1940 he had become French Deputy Prime
Minister his political abilities were meagre. And after France fell
to the Nazis it was Petain who signed the armistice and, from the
spa town of Vichy, ruled over the Etat Francais Hitler had left
him.
Richard Griffiths tells this sorry story in outstanding detail,
all the way to Petain's ignominious end, and not stinting to show
his culpability in the Vichy persecution of French Jews and its
suppression of the internal Resistance.
'Petain, utterly obscure until the age of 58, was hurled to fame
by his defence of Verdun in 1916. This saved his country's bacon
(he would say her honour) at a crisis point of the Great War.
Thereafter he became an almost monarchical figure, more revered
than any living Frenchman, even after the disaster of 1940. But
then, as head of the puppet Vichy government, he slid into ignominy
after failing to square honour with military humiliation.
Griffiths's durable biography... paints not a devil but a
courageous, misguided man with a hole where others keep their
political acumen.'
Robin Blake, "Independent"
General
Imprint: |
Faber and Faber
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
May 2011 |
First published: |
May 2011 |
Authors: |
Richard Griffiths
|
Dimensions: |
234 x 153 x 29mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
416 |
Edition: |
Main |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-571-27814-5 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-571-27814-0 |
Barcode: |
9780571278145 |
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