Some people like to talk of it as a puppet regime, but it wasn\u2019t really: they tried to assert their authority, just always within the confines of occupation
Dr Shannon Fogg<\/footer> <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
Vichy France was not under direct German administration. The Nazis would have the last say, of course, but Vichy laws applied to the whole country, not just the unoccupied zone. The Vichy government instituted rules regarding rationing, but also on economic Aryanisation, the seizure of property, and anti-Jewish statutes \u2013 often without the Germans demanding them.<\/p>\n
Were colonies included in the armistice agreement?<\/h3>\n
At the time, the French empire stretched across the globe, with extensive holdings in north and west Africa, the Caribbean, through south Asia, and in what was called Indochina. The mobilisation in 1939 had seen soldiers from all over the empire make up 10 colonial divisions out of the overall 80 in the French forces.<\/p>\n
After the armistice, all of the colonies \u2013 except one, French Equatorial Africa \u2013 sided with Petain. The first article of the agreement ended fighting between Germany and France, as well as all French possessions, colonies and protectorates, and they would remain unoccupied during the war. As Fogg points out, however, by then there were more than 85,000 colonial prisoners of war from the 10 divisions, held in camps all over occupied France.<\/p>\n
How much support did the Vichy government have?<\/h3>\n
In the early stages, Vichy France did enjoy support among the French people: many were relieved that the fighting was over quickly, and were happy to trust Petain. \u201cHe was telling them that he was going to protect them from the death and destruction seen in the First World War.\u201d<\/p>\n
That said, Fogg stresses that around two per cent of the population were actively committed to Vichy\u2019s collaboration with the Germans, and a similar percentage actively resisted it. The majority were \u201cjust trying to get by\u201d, and while many French people opposed the foreign occupiers, they were \u201cmuch slower to lose confidence in Vichy and even slower to become disillusioned with Petain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some scholars see 1941 as the turning point \u2013 as the realisation set in that things were not getting better. Others highlight the summer of 1942 when the first major arrests and deportations of Jews took place. \u201cFor some, the turning point in public opinion is not until 1943, when the government instituted a compulsory labour service in which young men were drafted to work in factories in Germany,\u201d suggests Fogg. \u201cMany of these young men then choose to join the resistance<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n
What was everyday life like for civilians in Vichy France?<\/h3>\n
As the war went on, daily life became increasingly difficult in France, but experiences differed based on where a person lived, what they did, and how they were defined under the Vichy or occupying regimes. For those under German rule, they had a visible embodiment of occupation: the constant presence of troops.<\/p>\n
There would not be German troops in the south until after November 1942. After the Allies landed in north Africa, the Nazis used this as a reason to occupy the whole of France. Vichy still existed, but the country was now fully occupied.<\/p>\n
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