The Fall of France 1940

by Andrew Shennan

Overview

Offering a fresh critical perspective on this momentous event, Andrew Shennan examines both the continuities and discontinuities that resulted from the events of 1940. The main focus is on the French experience of the war, but this experience is framed within the larger context of France's - and Europe's - protracted mid-twentieth century crisis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138160514
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/27/2017
Series:	Turning Points
Pages:	196
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Preface, Prologue: May-June 1940: fragments and impressions PART ONE: POLITICS OF DEFEAT 1. Expectations 2. Post-defeat politics: impotence and improvisation 3. Vichy, resistance, and the lessons of defeat 4. 1940 after Liberation PART TWO: DEFEAT IN HISTORY 5. The short term: aftermath. The medium term: transitions 7. The long term: legacies

Editorial Reviews

Shennan (history, Wellesley College) uses a wide array of primary and secondary sources to form his analysis of the complex attitudes behind the political events in France before, during and, especially, after the German occupation of 1940. The first half of this short, readable work considers the expectations and realities of the occupation from the point of view of the time; the second half is devoted to initial and later interpretations by the French<-->including writers, historians, and politicians<-->of the occupation, which Shennan sees as causing long-term consequences to the French political psyche. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

'a lively analysis...subtle and insightful...students and scholars of contemporary France will benefit greatly from reading and thinking about this book' History

From the Publisher