Politics

Vichy France

10 Jul 1940 – 20 Aug 1944 · Vichy, France

On 10 July 1940 the French National Assembly voted 569 to 80, with 20 abstentions, to grant full powers to Marshal Philippe Pétain, who took the title of head of the French State; the regime's seat was set at Vichy, though Paris remained the nominal capital. After Operation Torch, on 11 November 1942 Axis forces launched Case Anton and occupied southern France, ending Vichy's claim to independence. The Provisional Government declared the regime's constitutional acts void on 9 August 1944, Pétain ceased to serve as head of state on 20 August 1944, and the government fled to Sigmaringen in Germany in September 1944.