Episode 137 - Into the Abyss, Part I

Today I wrap up this miniseries with a look at French diplomacy during the 30s. Upon recording this episode I realized there may have been not one single success during this entire period, an impressive record even by the standards of this show.    Bibliography for this episode:  Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988 Nere, J. The Foreign Policy of France from 1914 to 1945 Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd 1975 Jordan, Nicole The Popular Front & Central Europe: The Dilemmas of French Impotence, 1918-1940 Cambridge University Press 1992 Bernard, Philippe and Henri Dubief The Decline of the Third Republic, 1914-1938 Cambridge University Press 1988 Adamthwaite, Anthony Grandeur and Misery: France 1914-1940 Arnold, 1995 Wright, Gordon France in Modern Times, 4th Ed WW Norton Company, Inc, 1987 Fortescue, William The Third Republic in France 1870-1940 Routledge, 2007   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Coverage of the French military is wrapped up today with a look at the development and equipment of their navy and air force.    Bibliography for this episode:  Baughen, Greg The Rise and Fall of the French Air Force: French Air Operations and Strategy 1900-1940 Fonthill 2018 Chant, Chris Allied Fighter Aircraft 1939-45 Amber Books 2009 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998 Jordan, John & Robert Dumas French Battleships 1922-1956 Seaforth Publishing 2009 Jordan, John & Jean Moulin French Destroyers 1922-1956 Seaforth Publishing 2015 Jordan, John & Jean Moulin French Cruisers 1922-1956 Seaforth Publishing 2013 Martindale, E.V. Submarines of World War II 1939-45 Amber Books 2024   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Equipment and organization episode! Even if the French commanders got thoroughly discredited after 1940, the actual gear used by the army kept a decent reputation. But that might not be entirely justified as their arsenal was riddled with deficiencies all its own.    Bibliography for this episode:  Doughty, Robert Allan The Seeds of Disaster: The Development of French Army Doctrine 1919-1939 Archon Books 1985 Porch, Douglas Defeat and Division: France at War, 1939-1942 Cambridge University Press 2022 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998 Johnson, Lee The French Army 1939-45 Osprey Publishing 1998 Porter, David World War II Tanks: Western Allies 1939-45 Amber Books 2009   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]  

I'm talking about bunkers today and I desperately hope you guys are as excited as I am.    Bibliography for this episode:  Doughty, Robert Allan The Seeds of Disaster: The Development of French Army Doctrine 1919-1939 Archon Books 1985 Kaufmann, J.E. and H.W. Kaufmann Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II Praeger Security International 2006 Porch, Douglas Defeat and Division: France at War, 1939-1942 Cambridge University Press 2022   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Today we move away from the overview history of France to focus on purely military matters. Namely, how the French went wrong in preparing for the next war and how that would play into the disaster of 1940.    Bibliography for this episode:  Doughty, Robert Allan The Seeds of Disaster: The Development of French Army Doctrine 1919-1939 Archon Books 1985 Kaufmann, J.E. and H.W. Kaufmann Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II Praeger Security International 2006 Porch, Douglas Defeat and Division: France at War, 1939-1942 Cambridge University Press 2022   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

For France, lacking in both population count, natural resources, and industry when compared to their hostile neighbor, the colonies were indispensable. But the lackluster engagement from the Popular Front government would help drive local leaders from forming partnerships with their imperial overlords, as even a supposedly friendly government ruled with a clumsy hand. So while the major components of the empire were productive, the people actually living there began envisioning futures separate from Paris.    Bibliography for this episode:  Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988 Roberts, AD The Cambridge History of Africa: Volume 7 from 1905 to 1940 Cambridge University Press 1986 Conklin, Alice L et al France and Its Empire Since 1870 Oxford University Press 2011 Thomas, Martin The French Empire at War, 1940-45 Manchester University Press 1998 Brocheux, Pierre and Daniel Hemery Indochina: An Ambiguous Colonization 1858-1954 University of California Press 2009   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

The honeymoon period of the Popular Front was basically nil within the actual French government. The establishment may have been willing to entertain limited reforms, but sweeping changes were out of the question, killing the momentum of the entire movement and dooming it to failure.    Bibliography for this episode:  Jackson, Julian The Politics of Depression in France, 1932-1936 Cambridge University Press 1985 Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988 Bernard, Philippe and Henri Dubief The Decline of the Third Republic, 1914-1938 Cambridge University Press 1988 Adamthwaite, Anthony Grandeur and Misery: France 1914-1940 Arnold, 1995 Wright, Gordon France in Modern Times, 4th Ed WW Norton Company, Inc, 1987 Fortescue, William The Third Republic in France 1870-1940 Routledge, 2007 Weber, Eugene The Hollow Years: France in the 1930s WW Norton & Company Inc 1994   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

By the time the Popular Front came to power it seemed like nothing would be the same in France. Politics were polarizing, the Communists became a viable electoral force, and the old order appeared dead and buried. Strikes were sweeping the nation and the business class appeared to be in retreat. It wouldn't last, but it felt great at the time.    Bibliography for this episode:  Jackson, Julian The Politics of Depression in France, 1932-1936 Cambridge University Press 1985 Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988 Bernard, Philippe and Henri Dubief The Decline of the Third Republic, 1914-1938 Cambridge University Press 1988 Adamthwaite, Anthony Grandeur and Misery: France 1914-1940 Arnold, 1995 Wright, Gordon France in Modern Times, 4th Ed WW Norton Company, Inc, 1987 Fortescue, William The Third Republic in France 1870-1940 Routledge, 2007 Weber, Eugene The Hollow Years: France in the 1930s WW Norton & Company Inc 1994   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Switching topics to France in the mid-to-late 1930s, today I cover the early coming together of the Popular Front in France. Expect becoming re-acquainted with the political and economic situation there at the time, as well as an introduction to the key factions and figures that would comprise the Front.    Bibliography for this episode:  Jackson, Julian The Politics of Depression in France, 1932-1936 Cambridge University Press 1985 Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988 Bernard, Philippe and Henri Dubief The Decline of the Third Republic, 1914-1938 Cambridge University Press 1988 Adamthwaite, Anthony Grandeur and Misery: France 1914-1940 Arnold, 1995 Wright, Gordon France in Modern Times, 4th Ed WW Norton Company, Inc, 1987 Fortescue, William The Third Republic in France 1870-1940 Routledge, 2007 Weber, Eugene The Hollow Years: France in the 1930s WW Norton & Company Inc 1994   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Today I finally wrap this miniseries with a look at the Hitler Youth, how it developed and its role in the Nazi state. I also touch on the effects of Nazism on the German educational system. Like most things it had any effect on, it wasn't great!   Bibliography for this episode:  HW Koch The Hitler Youth: Origins and Development 1922-1945 Cooper Square Press 2000 (originally Barnes & Noble Books 1975) Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power Penguin Press 2005 Gellately, Robert Hitler's True Believers: How Ordinary People Became Nazis Oxford University Press 2020 Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]