| Summary: | 博士 === 國立中興大學 === 歷史學系所 === 102 === Mar?chal P?tain had received a death sentence for high treason by the Haute Cour de Justice of the French Provisional Government in 1945. And, in consideration of his senility, the sentence was then mitigated to life imprisonment and he was sent immediately under escort to serve his term in ?le d’Yeu in Atlantic Ocean where he passed away as a convicted at the age of 95 in 1951. Looking back into the P?tain Case, it is shown as a true repetition of great trials of the century other than the two exemplified open ones – Louis XVI of House of Bourbon after the French Revolution and Mar?chal Bazaine of the Second Empire of France after Guerre Franco-Prussienne. It shocked the entire France. However, the hoodwinked lawmen knew not the worthy person. How could P?tain, a WWI hero-savior, have become a traitor-prisoner after WWII had closely to do with his presiding of Vichy Regime. Therefore, we are desirous of exploring P?tain’s life story and the beginning and end of rise and fall of Vichy France under his charge through historical observation to unveil the secluded and minute historical event of the same during WWII in France.
After P?tain met Hitler at Montoire in 1940, they decided to target at building up the new order in Europe under franco-allemande cooperation. To belliciste and r?sistant groups, it was a high crime of collaboration. It has never been seen before in history that a defeated nation would have worked with its conqueror for joint venture by negotiation. Any cooperator with Germany was regarded simply as the collaborator, and Vichy Government, the puppet regime. Eventually, the franco-allemande cooperation had been gradually diminished until its vanishing into thin air following the subsequent German military defeats. The Vichy Regime was buried historically, too. Subject to adaptation to circumstances and change of fortune, France and Germany had signed the “Trait? instituant la Communaut? europ?enne du charbon et de l’acier” to open the new page of European Union barely before P?tain’s death.
Perhaps, Vichy Regime might be deemed as a unique example in French history but the core it had touched is the division and unification of Europe. Ever since Charlemagne, the change of time and space had resulted in the Old Continent in turmoils and chaos incessantly. At the navigation era in European history, hundreds and thousands of rivalling vessels had sailed to open seas to build their great colonial empire systems by respective powers. But the two consecutive world wars in the 20th century had caused great damages to the land powers in Europe and the strength of colonial empires were weakened, and then, collapsed. At the same time, the developing new continental powers, such as China, USA and Russia, are rising progressively. It has been more than a score of years since the formation of EU. There are things bound to happen and reasons as a matter of course in connection with the trend of European division and unification. We shall start from the analysis and discussion of the cause and process of cooperation between Vichy Regime and Nazi Germany, in addition to what they had not accomplished, as a forerunner in written study.
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