D.V. Shmelev
Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008 Russia
E-mail: dmitryShmelev@mail.ru
Received April 27, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
DOI: 10.26907/2541-7738.2022.3.251-256
For citation: Shmelev D.V. France in the interwar period: The origins of the disaster. [Review: Vershinin A.A., Naumova N.N. From Triumph to Catastrophe: The Military and Political Defeat of France in 1940 and Its Origins. St. Petersburg, Aleteya, 2022. (In Russian)]. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2022, vol. 164, no. 3, pp. 251–256. doi: 10.26907/2541-7738.2022.3.251-256. (In Russian)
Abstract
This article reviews A.A. Vershinin and N.N. Naumova’s monograph devoted to the analysis of the causes of the military and political collapse of the French Third Republic. The following key points covered by the authors are considered here: the problems with finding strong allies, rearmament, and military security, all discussed during the interwar period. In addition, special attention is paid to the events that led to the crushing defeat of the French army and to the general political state of France by the downfall of the French Third Republic. Some controversial issues resulting from different opinions on the events of diplomatic and military history are explored. The features of the foreign and defense policy of France and its participation in the early stage of World War II (the Phoney War), the circumstances associated with Marshal Ph. Pétain’s coming to power and the establishment of the collaborationist regime are outlined.
Keywords: France, Third Republic, Phoney War, foreign policy, defense policy
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