Power And Prejudice In The Vichy Regime

Verdict on Vichy: Power and Prejudice in the Vichy France Regime by Michael Curtis was published in 2002 and took a political science and memory perspective on the history it provided excellent insight on the regime. There are some similarities to Conan and Russo, such as an agreement to their arguments regarding a period of repression, how film raised awareness, and that politicians and trials shaped the memory of the Vichy regime. Curtis also contends that Robert O. Paxton and Eberhard Jäckel shaped the field by creating a political and scholarly dialogue on Vichy. However, Curtis also argues that the post-War French government presented Vichy as an illegitimate takeover of the Third Republic in order to alter the memory of France, particularly regarding the Vel d’Hiv Roundup. Throughout the book, Curtis discussed shifts in scholarly opinions on various aspects of life under Vichy and the post-war dialogue. However, his focus remained Pétain, Vichy politicians, and German policy through the lens of memory that, he argues, has

Gordon entitled “The ‘Vichy Syndrome’ Problem in History” not only addresses what Vichy Syndrome is but how it has changed historiography on the Vichy regime. Gordon not only questions the existence of Vichy Syndrome but whether the obsession with Vichy occurred and changed France as Rousso presented in The Vichy Syndrome. Gordon argued that Vichy history will remain incomplete until the death of everyone involved, politically and as citizens, and that without a complete history the scope can not be fully realized. However, he did concede that there is sufficient information that can be studied and argued, particularly in terms of French collaboration with the Nazis. This work provides insight into popular scholars in the field, what they have written, when it was written, how his own work agrees or refutes their claims, and how these historiographies fit with the available primary source