Philippe Pétain summary

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Philippe Pétain, (born April 24, 1856, Cauchy-à-la-Tour, France—died July 23, 1951, Île d’Yeu), French general. He served in the French army from 1876 and later taught at the war college. His successful defense in the Battle of Verdun (1916) made him a national hero, and in 1918 he became commander in chief and a marshal of France. After the war he was appointed vice president of the Supreme War Council (1920–30) and minister of war (1934). After the German invasion of France (1940), Pétain was appointed premier at age 84. He concluded an armistice with Germany, and as head of Vichy France he attempted to obtain concessions by cooperating with the Germans. In 1942 the Germans forced him to accept Pierre Laval as premier and he withdrew to a nominal role as head of state. After the Allied invasion of France, he fled to Germany. In 1945 he was tried and condemned to death; the sentence was commuted to life in prison, where he died at age 95.

army Summary

Army, a large organized armed force trained for war, especially on land. The term may be applied to a large unit organized for independent action, or it may be applied to a nation’s or ruler’s complete military organization for land warfare. Throughout history, the character and organization of

Vichy France Summary

Vichy France, (July 1940–September 1944), France under the regime of Marshal Philippe Pétain from the Nazi German defeat of France to the Allied liberation in World War II. The Franco-German Armistice of June 22, 1940, divided France into two zones: one to be under German military occupation and

Battle of Verdun Summary

Battle of Verdun, (February 21–December 18, 1916), World War I engagement in which the French repulsed a major German offensive. It was one of the longest, bloodiest, and most-ferocious battles of the war; French casualties amounted to about 400,000, German ones to about 350,000. Some 300,000 were

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not