Vichy's Double Bind (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781009368292)

Vichy's Double Bind advances a significant new interpretation of French collaboration during the Second World War. Arguing that the path to collaboration involved not merely Nazi Germany but Fascist Italy, it suggests that the Vichy French government was caught in a double bind. On the one hand, many of the threats to France's territory, colonial empire and power came from Rome as well as Berlin. On the other, Vichy was caught between the irreconcilable yet inescapable positions of the two Axis governments. Unable to resolve the conflict, Vichy sought to play the two Axis powers against each other. By exploring French dealings with Italy at diplomatic, military and local levels in France and its colonial empire, this book reveals the multi-dimensional and multi-directional nature of Vichy's policy. It therefore challenges many enduring conceptions of collaboration with reference to Franco-German relations and offers a fresh perspective on debates about Vichy France and collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

Author: Karine Varley
ISBN-10: 100936829X
ISBN-13: 9781009368292
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 06/01/2023
Pages: 230
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.04lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.56d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2024