| Petain was a French military
leader who led Vichy France during World War II.
A French hero in World War I, he ascended to the position of the premier
of France in Jun 1940 and signed an armistice with Germany
eight days later. He ceded most of northern France to the Germans and moved
the capital of the remaining country to the city of Vichy in southern France.
From here he ruled a collaborationist government with the Germans and instituted
many Nazi practices, such as political censorship
and arbitrary arrests. Petain's regime was opposed by that of Charles
de Gaulle, and many smaller resistance movements. When the Allies liberated
France in 1944, Petain fled to Germany but was forced to return in 1945
to stand trial for treason. He was found guilty and imprisoned for life.
He died in prison six years later. |
