Pierre Laval's 1942 Speech: Collaboration with Nazi Germany for a New Europe Against Bolshevism

Extract

[...] The two countries must therefore not only be militarily allied, but also be the spokespersons for this European construction project that, in history, will constitute a true binomial from the European Economic Community to the European Union as we know it today. This will also allow France to regain its international celebrity after the impressive defeat of the first world war. Collaboration is therefore conceived by Pierre Laval as a genuine opportunity for France's ascension to find its place in the new Europe4, a place of protagonist and main actor in its construction. [...]

[...] In 1939, it would not have been necessary to start again, the 1918 war having already clearly shown the mortal defeat. Already in 1918, according to Laval, it would have been necessary to ' organize a peace of understanding with Germany», in order to reconcile with her and avoid war. Seeing thousands of young Frenchmen die on the battlefield is a strong image evoked in the speech in lines 7 and when he specifies that he cannot conceive how ' all the 25 or 30 years our youth of our country cut down on the battlefields. [...]

[...] The broadcast of the speech and its publication in the newspaper Les Nouveaux Temps allows for a very wide dissemination among all the French. It is also important to note that the newspaper in question is a daily propaganda newspaper that was funded at the time by Hitler's Germany. Such a detail allows to put in evidence the propagandistic character of the speech held by Laval, whose goal was clearly displayed to pass a political message to the French, in addition to showing his ideals and his wish as Head of Government. [...]

[...] What he wants, in June 1942, is then a state collaboration with Germany, such as that initiated with the meeting between Pétain and Hitler at Montoire on October But is such a pacifist vision, contrary to the use of arms, a truly felt conception or does it hide a deeper political will to obtain popular consent because it is indeed peace that the population wanted to hear about at the time? B. A constant search for popular consent throughout the speech If ' if we have been wrong» before, today, ' we must try to do it». It is in these terms that Pierre Laval tries to motivate the recipients of his speech, the French people, of the need for collaboration with Germany and a lasting peace. [...]

[...] France had signed an armistice with Germany in 1940, two years earlier, choosing collaboration with the occupier. The question that this document leaves us with is that of knowing by what means this broadcast speech by Laval constitutes a true manifestation of his will to collaborate with Nazi Germany in order to ultimately build a 'new Europe'? new Europe» ? To answer this question, we will see in the first part the formal presentation of the speech as pacifist in order to obtain a stronger popular consent and in a second part the justification used by Laval to justify the collaboration in order to build a new Europe (II). [...]