How France’s defeat in 1940 shaped the perceptions of a generation.

Lionel Barber’s review in The Financial Times of Strange Victory: Hitler’s Conquest Of France by Ernest May provides great historical insight into the mistrust and abominable relations between France, on the one hand, and the U.S. and the U.K. on the other. We quote:

“The capitulation of France in 1940 stands out as a decisive event in modern European history. It encouraged Mussolini to enter the war alongside Hitler. It precipitated the collapse of the Third Republic and the creation of a collaborationist regime in Vichy. And it shaped American and British perceptions of France for the next generation.

“Arguably, France’s humiliation still grips national psychologies today For Britons of a certain age, many of whom can be found in the Euro-sceptic camp, the French are a nation of losers. For Americans, notably diplomats and policymakers involved in transatlantic relations, the French combination of hauteur and insecurity must be viewed through the prism of defeat, occupation and collaboration.”