About the book
Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize 2023
A Telegraph Book of the Year
A Times, Spectator and Prospect Book of the Year
One of the great contemporary historians of France on one of the most controversial periods of twentieth-century French history
Few images more shocked the French population during the Occupation than the photograph of Marshal Philippe Pétain - the great French hero of the First World War - shaking the hand of Hitler on 20 October 1940. In a radio speech after this meeting, Pétain told the French people that he was 'entering down the road of collaboration'. He ended with the words: 'This is my policy. My ministers are responsible to me. It is I alone who will be judged by History.' Five years later, in July 1945, the hour of judgement - if not yet the judgement of History - arrived. Pétain was brought before a specially created High Court to answer for his conduct between the signing of the armistice with Germany in June 1940 and the Liberation of France in August 1944.
Julian Jackson uses Pétain's three-week trial as a lens through which to examine the central crisis of twentieth-century French history - the defeat of 1940, the signing of the armistice and Vichy's policy of collaboration - what the main prosecutor Mornet called 'four years to erase from our history'. As head of the Vichy regime in the Second, Pétain became one of France's most notorious public figures, and the lightening-rod for collective guilt and retribution immediately after the Second World War. In France on Trial Jackson blends politics and personal drama to explore how different national factions sought to try to claim the past, or establish their interpretation of it, as a way of claiming the present and future.
Editions of France on Trial
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780241450253
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780141993096
- EBook
- ISBN 9780241450277
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9780241650028
Read an Excerpt
Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize 2023
A Telegraph Book of the Year
A Times, Spectator and Prospect Book of the Year
One of the great contemporary historians of France on one of the most controversial periods of twentieth-century French history
Few images more shocked the French population during the Occupation than the photograph of Marshal Philippe Pétain - the great French hero of the First World War - shaking the hand of Hitler on 20 October 1940. In a radio speech after this meeting, Pétain told the French people that he was 'entering down the road of collaboration'. He ended with the words: 'This is my policy. My ministers are responsible to me. It is I alone who will be judged by History.' Five years later, in July 1945, the hour of judgement - if not yet the judgement of History - arrived. Pétain was brought before a specially created High Court to answer for his conduct between the signing of the armistice with Germany in June 1940 and the Liberation of France in August 1944.
Julian Jackson uses Pétain's three-week trial as a lens through which to examine the central crisis of twentieth-century French history - the defeat of 1940, the signing of the armistice and Vichy's policy of collaboration - what the main prosecutor Mornet called 'four years to erase from our history'. As head of the Vichy regime in the Second, Pétain became one of France's most notorious public figures, and the lightening-rod for collective guilt and retribution immediately after the Second World War. In France on Trial Jackson blends politics and personal drama to explore how different national factions sought to try to claim the past, or establish their interpretation of it, as a way of claiming the present and future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is France on Trial about?
Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize 2023
A Telegraph Book of the Year
A Times, Spectator and Prospect Book of the Year
One of the great contemporary historians of France on one of the most controversial periods of twentieth-century French history
Few images more shocked the French population during the Occupation than the photograph of Marshal Philippe Pétain - the great French hero of the First World War - shaking the hand of Hitler on 20 October 1940. In a radio speech after this meeting, Pétain told the French people that he was 'entering down the road of collaboration'. He ended with the words: 'This is my policy. My ministers are responsible to me. It is I alone who will be judged by History.' Five years later, in July 1945, the hour of judgement - if not yet the judgement of History - arrived. Pétain was brought before a specially created High Court to answer for his conduct between the signing of the armistice with Germany in June 1940 and the Liberation of France in August 1944.
Julian Jackson uses Pétain's three-week trial as a lens through which to examine the central crisis of twentieth-century French history - the defeat of 1940, the signing of the armistice and Vichy's policy of collaboration - what the main prosecutor Mornet called 'four years to erase from our history'. As head of the Vichy regime in the Second, Pétain became one of France's most notorious public figures, and the lightening-rod for collective guilt and retribution immediately after the Second World War. In France on Trial Jackson blends politics and personal drama to explore how different national factions sought to try to claim the past, or establish their interpretation of it, as a way of claiming the present and future.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in France on Trial?
History and Archaeology > History > European history
Where can I read a sample of France on Trial?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780241450253
Who is/are the Author/s of the book France on Trial?
Julian Jackson
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
France on Trial is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780241450253) and paperback(ISBN 9780141993096) and ebook(ISBN 9780241450277) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9780241650028)
Where can I buy France on Trial online or support local independent bookshops?
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Where can I buy France on Trial?