Language:
French
Year of publication:
2010
Titel der Quelle:
Le Débat; histoire, politique, société
Angaben zur Quelle:
162 (2010) 53-70
Keywords:
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Abstract:
The Free France government in London initially condemned antisemitic persecution in France. However, during the first 18 months of the war, its radio broadcasts did not condemn the Vichy government and hardly mentioned the fate of the Jews. The abrogation of the Crémieux decree was not denounced. This extreme verbal caution, which increased towards the end of 1941, may have been due to the presence of many volunteers with a background in the Action Française movement or the anti-parliamentarian antisemitic right. The government also wanted to avoid feeding Nazi propaganda which labelled it as serving the Jews. In December 1941 de Gaulle initiated a change and surrounded himself with left-wingers and Jewish volunteers. In 1942, when information came through about the fate of the Jews in Eastern Europe (a fate also awaiting Jews deported from France), Free France changed its propaganda. The occupation and deportations were condemned and the French were called upon to help the persecuted. However, the Jews were not mentioned as the primary victims. During the last 20 months of the occupation the campaign of indignation and appeal was discontinued. The broadcasts did not even call for aid to Jewish children. When the French were subjected to forced labor in Germany, the Jewish question became secondary and the focus was on liberating France. Concludes that Free France knew about the Holocaust and did not do enough to help the Jews. On the other hand, it was hard at the time to grasp the reality of the reported horrors.
Description / Table of Contents:
Poznanski, Renée. La propagande de la France Libre et la persécution des juifs. 164 (2011) 185-189.
Description / Table of Contents:
Crémieux-Brilhac, Jean-Louis. Réponse à Renée Poznanski. Ibid. 189-192.
URL:
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