Abstract

In the wake of the defeat of 1940, the French were compelled to come to terms with their country's national decline and to accept the need for fundamental change. The great debate over the reasons for France's defeat and the sources of its future renewal was one of the most distinctive features of these critical years. Here Shennan examines the contributions that each of the major political forces made to the debate and looks at each of its major themes. His reconstruction of the mental universe of French politicians and reformers during the 1940s casts light both on the period itself and on the roots of France's remarkable post war resurgence.