Petain (Profiles in Power Series)(Paper)

Rating:
Summary: Petain shown as both saviour and traitor.
Review: Nicholas Atkin has written a succinct biography of the Marshall which covers all the major controversies about his unlikely life. Although the author has little sympathy with the viewpoint of loyalists who have sought to justify Vichy, there is enough insight here for the general reader to understand why the Marshall personally remained popular long after his policy of collaboration with Germany had obviously failed. The book is excellent in persuading that Petain's policies in office from 1940 were largely conditioned by his previous life. For example, his naive trust in family values and rural work were a result of his traditional upbringing in the Pas de Calais. His military success at Verdun caused him to misjudge the value of defensive lines against the German attack in the second world war. The collapse of Vichy in 1944 and the post war trial are treated rather sketchily. The final review chapter on the man and the myth is a first rate balancing act in the historiography of this highly unusual dictator.