France - Vichy State

The Vichy State, officially the French State (État français), was a French puppet state that existed from 1940 to 1944 during World War II. The state was led by Marshal Philippe Pétain and took its name from the city of Vichy, the seat of government. The Vichy State was established after the German occupation of France, after the French government signed an armistice with Germany on 22 June 1940. Under the armistice, France was divided into two zones: a northern zone under German occupation and a southern zone, theoretically independent, administered by the Vichy government. Although the Vichy State was theoretically independent, in reality it was largely dependent on the Germans. Pétain's government pursued a policy of collaboration with the Germans and actively participated in the Holocaust and other German crimes. The Vichy government enacted anti-Semitic laws, deprived Jews of their rights and property, and assisted the Germans in deporting Jews to death camps. The Vichy government's domestic policies were authoritarian and conservative. Pétain's government abolished the democratic institutions of the Third Republic and established an authoritarian regime. Under the slogan of "national revolution", the government advocated a return to traditional values and suppressed political opposition. The Vichy state ceased to exist in 1944, when the Allied forces liberated France. Pétain was sentenced to death for treason, but the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.