The Introduction examines the changing historiography of Vichy and Occupied France, particularly since the 1970s, when historians challenged postwar French myths as they discovered newly accessible archival sources and exposed the reality behind Pétain’s claim that Vichy merely acted as a shield. In fact the regime’s nationalism differed from that of many Frenchmen in stressing the soil as opposed to political principle and hence the imperative for the administration to remain on it. This, however, was at the price of collaboration with an occupying power, which not only made increasing demands but also served as an umbrella for the regime’s desired political changes. Researchers still need to examine the results for French culture and particularly music, an art of special interest to the Germans, as Vichy moved toward greater collaboration. And they must examine how composers confronted the Vichy model of French culture as opposed to that now defined by the Resistance.
Bearing Silent Witness: A Grandfather's Secret Attestation to German War Crimes in Occupied France
