Philippe Pétain

Philippe Pétain (1856–1951) was a French military commander who became a national hero at Verdun in World War I and later led the collaborationist Vichy regime during World War II.

French Army: The land warfare branch of France’s armed forces. Pétain’s military career unfolded within this institution.
Armistice of 22 June 1940: The agreement that ended hostilities between France and Germany after France’s defeat in 1940. Pétain’s government signed it after choosing an armistice over continued resistance from metropolitan France.
National Revolution: Vichy France’s authoritarian program, which rejected republican principles in favor of the motto “Work, Family, Fatherland.” Pétain’s government used this program to replace the Republic’s political ideals.
Free France: The movement led by Charles de Gaulle that continued the Allied war effort in France’s name after 1940. Free France disputed Vichy’s claim to represent the French nation.
Battle of Verdun: A major battle on the Western Front fought between French and German forces from February to December 1916. Pétain became celebrated for organizing Verdun’s defense.
Vichy France: The French regime that governed the unoccupied zone and collaborated with Germany from 1940 to 1944. Pétain headed this regime as its chief of state.
Statut des Juifs: Vichy France’s October 1940 law defining Jews and excluding them from numerous professions and public roles. Pétain’s government enacted this antisemitic law without German compulsion.
French State: The official name of the authoritarian French regime established under Philippe Pétain in 1940. Its break with republican institutions defined Pétain’s wartime rule.
Joseph Joffre: French general who served as commander-in-chief of the French armies during the first years of World War I. Joffre appointed Pétain to command at Verdun in 1916.
Constitutional Act No. 2: A law of 11 July 1940 that granted Philippe Pétain full governmental and constitutional powers. It established Pétain’s authority to direct and promulgate the new regime’s constitution.

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