France during World War II: From Defeat to Liberation (World War II: The Global, Human, and Ethical Dimension) - Hardcover

Christofferson, Thomas R.; Christofferson, Michael S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823225623 ISBN 13: 9780823225620

Publisher: Fordham University Press, 2006

Synopsis

In this concise, clearly written book, Thomas and Michael Christofferson provide a balanced introduction to every aspect of the French experience during World War II.

Synthesizing a wide range of scholarship, the authors integrate political, diplomatic, military, social, cultural, and economic history in this portrait of a nation and a people at war. Here is a chronicle of the battles and campaigns that stained French soil with blood. Here, also, is the full historical context of the war―its origins, realities, and aftermath―in French society. The authors pay particular attention to the key failures of institutional France―especially the officer corps, political elites, and the Catholic Church. They also assess
the controversial history of the Vichy regime and the German occupation, in carefully crafted accounts of resistance and collaboration, Vichy’s National Revolution, and the fate of France’s Jews.

Accessible to both students and general readers, France during World War II develops a full understanding of the actors, events, issues, and controversies of a turbulent era.

About this title

About the Author:

Thomas R. Christofferson is William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of History Emeritus at Drew University. His publications include The French Socialists in Power, 1981–1986: From Autogestion to Cohabitation.

Review:

. . .A well-packed narrative of the years of violence and despair that marked France during the international and domestic debacle of World War II. (―H-France Review)

With its comprehensive coverage and clear, readable prose, this text is ideal for undergraduate use. Highly recommended. (―Choice)

...addresses a large set of issues in compact fashion. (―Kathryn Amdur, Emory University author of Syndicalist Legacy: Trade Unions and Politics in Two French Cities in the Era of World War I)

. . . An excellent synthesis of the controversies and scholarly literature in English and French that surround the defeat of France in 1940 and subsequent years of Vichy and occupation. (―The Historian)

Offers a strong interpretive, historiographic framework, outlining the major trends in examining Vichy since 1945. (―Donna Ryan author of The Holocaust & the Jews of Marseille: The Enforcement of Anti-Semitic Policies in Vichy France)

About this edition

• Publisher: Fordham University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0823225623
• ISBN 13: 9780823225620
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208