Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940 [Hardcover]

William L Shirer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 1969

On June 17, 1940 William L. Shirer stood in the streets of Paris and watched the unending flow of gray German uniforms along its boulevards. In just six lovely weeks in the spring and summer of 1940 a single battle brought down in total military defeat one of the world's oldest, greatest, and most civilized powers—the second mightiest empire on earth and the possessor of one of the finest military machines ever assembled. How did it happen? After nearly a decade of research in the massive archives left from World War II and after hundreds of conversations with the Third Republic’s leaders, generals, diplomats, and ordinary citizens, Shirer presents the definitive answer in his stunning re-creation of why and how France fell before Hitler's armies in 1940. His book is also a devastating examination of the confusion, corruption, and cynicism that drained the strength and toughness of a democracy which Thomas Jefferson once called "every man's second country." This book complements and completes the dramatic story of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and continues to rank as one of the most important works of history of our time.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"A brilliant account of the dry rot which weakened France," said LJ's reviewer of this massive work (LJ 10/15/69). In his usual fashion, Shirer provides intricate details of the history of the Third Republic, from its early years to its demise. This remains "strongly recommended."
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1082 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Second Printing (Stated) edition (November 13, 1969)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671203371
• ISBN-13: 978-0671203375
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #840,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Examination of The Curious Defeat Of The French!, August 1, 2000

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940 (Paperback)

Anyone familiar with William Shirer's spectacular and varied career as an international journalist, war correspondent, radio commentator, and best-selling author of such tomes as "Berlin Diary", "The Rise & Fall Of The Third Reich", "The Nightmare Years" and many others will appreciate this interesting and extremely well documented examination of the otherwise mind-boggling spectacle of the quick and effortless defeat of the French army at the hands of the Wehrmacht in a few short weeks in the summer of 1940. The world was stunned by the lack of resistance and quick capitulation of what had been the single strongest and most awesome fighting force in Europe almost without a struggle. Shirer has masterfully sifted through the wreckage of the Third Republic to discover the provocative and disturbing story behind the loss of heart and courage as well as the shocking and immoral betrayal involved in the subsequent collaboration with the Nazis under the notorious Vichy government.

Shirer arrived back in Paris shortly after the hostilities ceased, and was shocked by what he observed. As a longtime resident and reporter in the area, he understood the negative forces working to erode so fatefully away at what had once been the finest, largest, and best respected military force in Europe. This, then, is an absorbing, thoughtful, and compassionate look at how Germany came to defeat France's Third Republic so easily, at the tragic errors in tactical judgment and the continuing comedy of stupid military errors that constituted the French response to both the preparations for war as well as the invasion itself. It is also, perhaps much more importantly, a deep and detailed look at what went wrong in France in the years between the two world wars to so weaken the resolve, combativeness, and spirit of the nation in general and the army in particular.

This is fascinating stuff, a tale told as only someone with Shirer's intimate knowledge of French character, Parisian affairs and the political debacle that was the Third Republic could tell. It is at once quite detailed, compassionate, and entertaining, for as always Shirer brings a foreign correspondent's street-smart assessments to issues and events that a historian might not appreciate or understand. He notes, for example, the growing confusion, helplessness, and cynicism of the French people during the 1930s, as well as the ineptness and hopeless bureaucratization of the French army, and the ceaseless cycle of political and commercial corruption that sapped the strength and morale of the country.

I must confess to being a Shirer addict, having read just about everything he has published. Now that he is finally gone (having died within the last ten years), we are left with few of the brilliant cast of WWII alumni like John Toland, William Manchester, Cornelius Ryan, and William Shirer that so often illuminated us with their native intellect, writing skills, and sheer presence. But be of good cheer; they each have left us with a treasure trove of literary gifts we can enjoy at our leisure. This excellent tome discussing the otherwise inextricable mysteries of how the French could have been so easily defeated by a country that was less well manned, armed, and equipped than the French. Shirer may be gone, but this wonderful book still remains to remind us of his genius. Read this and remember.

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SHIRER'S MASTERPIECE CHRONICLES FRANCE'S DISGRACE, August 31, 2001

By 

givbatam3 "givbatam3" (REHOVOT Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940 (Paperback)

Although not as famous as Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", this book is just as important. The book gives a survey of the history of the French Third Republic from its founding in the aftermath of the humiliating defeat at the hands of Prussia in 1870, through its crisis in the Dreyfus Affair, victory in World War I and finally to the debacle of 1940. The author has the unique background of being both an accomplished journalist as well as a serious historian which gives the book a very readable style. What particularly appealed to me is his moral passion. He is no "objective, neutral observer". He is a Francophile who is willing to expose the terrible weaknesses that brought down the country he loves so much. The fact that he, as a newspaper correspondent, personally witnessed the horrors of Nazi Germany before the war gives a fervor to his writing that is refreshing in this day and age of viewing history as merely a comparison of the various "narratives" of the different sides in a conflict.
Shirer begins by pointing out the important fact that at the constituent assembly that wrote the constitution for the Third Republic, the majority of the delegates were, in fact, monarchists, but they could not decide if the king should be from the House of Bourbon or Orleans, so a republican form of government was chosen as a compromise. Thus, the new regime started out on the wrong foot as something no one really wanted. Throughout its 70 years history there were always strong anti-republican movements that threatened the very existence of the regime, chronic political instability and resistance to necessary reforms (for example, women were given the vote only after World War 2). In the military realm, the exhaustion resulting from the terrible losses in World War 1 combined with a reluctance to change the strategies that worked then and obliviousness to major technological changes in armored and aerial warfare led to the ossification of the army high command and the development of the "Maginot mentality".
In spite of all the disadvantages, when the German invasion began in 1940, the French stood a good chance of halting the invader. It has been repeatedly demostrated in modern warfare that the defense is very strong and that the attacker usually needs to have a clear superiority in order to prevail. Shirer demolishes the myths propagated by French Commander Weygand and others that the Germans had overwhelming superiority. In numbers of men and tanks the two sides were pretty evenly matched and the French tanks were of superior quality. The French officer corps was also much more experienced than that of the Germans because of the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. The Germans took unbelievably huge risks in mounting their main attack through the Ardennes where there were few roads and some well-aimed air or artillery attacks could have upset the whole German plan. It is true that the Luftwaffe had aerial superiority but the author shows that large numbers of French aircraft were inexplicably never sent into battle (the French Air Force had more aircraft available at the end of the campaign than at the beginning!) French troops fought valiantly in many engagements, especially in holding the perimeter at Dunkirk allowing many more men to escape back to England. This disproves the claim that all French felt resentment to the British or were not willing to fight to save their country.
So, the question remains, what brought about the sudden collapse? Once Petain started talking about an armistice, resistance collapsed. The military setbacks were exploited by unscrupulous anti-republican leaders like Petain, Laval and Weygand in order to overthrow the hated republican regime.
The disgrace of France in 1940 was not that they were defeated on the battlefield in metropolitan France. The British, Russians and Americans also suffered grievous setbacks early in the war before turning things around. The disgrace is that (1) they refused to continue the war from their colonies in North Africa where they could be protected by their powerful navy, (2) they accepted humiliating, immoral armistice terms that forced 1.5 million French POW's to remain interned for the duration of the war and agreeing to hand over refugees who had found haven from the Nazis in democratic France, many of whom were subsequently murdered and (3) the pro-republican leaders (especially the Socialists) allowed themselves to be meekly stampeded into voting the republican regime out of existence and granted unlimited dictatorial powers to Petain who then set up a new regime called the "French State" (instead of "Republic") which instituted a totalitarian regime that ultimately arrested the former leaders of the republic and other opponents (even murdering some of them like Mandel and Zay), handed Jews over to the Nazis to be annihilated and, finally, openly collaborating with them to the point of even agreeing to supplying the Germans with forced labor. Shirer mentions at the end of the book that many patriotic Frenchmen, years after the war, felt that their leaders were right in capitulating because "it saved another bloodbath like that of 1914-1918". Shirer points out that France's freedom was restored by the sacrifice of millions of Russian, British and American lives (among others). I think this obtuseness, or, alternately, a strong feeling of shame, explains why many Frenchmen have such a prickly attitude to Americans.
The lesson of this book is that a nation can have all the material, technological and military advantages but without internal solidarity, a sense of national dignity and a will to make sacrifices for its freedom, it can fall in an instant. This should serve as a warning for future generations.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the biggest enigmas in history, July 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940 (Paperback)

Shirer begins by posing the following question: how could France, which had defeated the Kaiser in 1918 and stood as the strongest military power in Europe, be crushed by the Nazi's in May 1940 (a mere 22 years later) and install Marshall Petain, a hero of the first war, as the dictator of the collaborationist government at Vichy? He then meticulously lays out the sad story, month-by-month, year-by year. In the end, the reader is left shaking her head and wondering how such a brilliant culture could have fallen so far so fast. The facts scream from the pages and even if you discount the 20-20 hindsight of 60 years, it is still amazing that the military and political leaders of that great country could not see where they were headed. This is a "must read" for anyone with an interest in the Second World War of in France.