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Anti-Semitism In France

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Many examinations of World War II begin with ‘what if’ as an attempt at better understanding the consequences of the events. However, if the primary source materials that are available remain unexamined, whether in part or as a whole, then the consequences of the event remain slightly out of reach. Such is the case of the German occupation of France during World War II. France fell and surrendered to German forces in June of 1940. The French and German armistice agreed to separate the nation into two zones, the northern Occupied Zone and the southern Unoccupied Zone, which was also known as the “Free Zone.” France’s fledgling Vichy government controlled the south and the German government controlled the north along the Demarcation Line. During the war, France lost roughly 567,600 lives, more than half of which were civilians. However, it was not until the mid-1990s when the French President, Jacques Chirac, confessed to the French responsibility of those lives lost, that French culpability was truly studied by scholars. Historians have argued both before and after the 1990s that the French were either collaborating with the Nazis or accommodating them as a means of preserving their identity. However, prior to the confession France had kept many documents unavailable to scholars and the general public, making a thorough examination of life in …show more content…

In 1939, Prime Minister Édouard Daladier attempted to curb growing anti-Semitism in France by endorsed the Marchandeau Law. Though the Marchandeau Law did not specifically address residents of Jewish faith, it clarified that a person could not be attacked based on religious beliefs or anything similar, particularly in the media. However, some historians find Daladier’s political platform to counter the argument that he was an advocate for the Jewish

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