I Saw France Fall, Will She Rise Again? (Paperback)

by Rene De Chambrun (Author) "As I walked down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees towards my home on the evening of August 22, 1939, there was no reason to believe that..." (more)
Key Phrases: les gars, pursuit planes, Maginot Line, Black Watch, Great Britain (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (May 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417992247
• ISBN-13: 978-1417992249
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,987,476 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a first hand account that explains how the "Popular Front" led France to defeat in WWII., January 3, 2009

By	B. Yager (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: I Saw France Fall, Will She Rise Again? (Hardcover)

Unlike modern historians who critique France's defeat by Nazi Germany in World War II, Rene de Chambrun provides his own unique detailed account during the coming of German occupation in France in I Saw France Fall: Will She Rise Again? Rene de Chambrun is a direct descendant of Marquis de Lafayette and the son in law of Pierre Laval. He served as a lawyer prior to World War II and was a captain and diplomat during the war. Chambrun's book attempts to explain how France was defeated through his own personal account along with his understanding of French politics.

Chambrun is very critical of the Popular Front's policies, which eventually led to France being conquered by Nazi Germany. He uses specific policies to back up his claim. For example in 1936, a law was passed that reduced military factory working hours from 54 hours to 40 hours a week, which lowered total output and reduced the size of France's military equipment (192). However, in 1937, the Popular Front increased funds for aviation that would increase their monthly airplane manufacture output to 37 a month compared to Germany's 800-1,000 planes (194). They also failed to effectively rebuild the agricultural and industrial sectors that were in critical condition from World War I (14-15). Blum and Daladier, who were leaders of the Popular Front, voted against appropriations for building the Magniot Line (38). There was also no anti-tank ditches built before the war in case of a German invasion. The Popular Front's policies weakened the French military in an effort to make France a socialist country.
Chambrun argues that the Popular Front wanted votes rather than strengthening France. In the 1930s, Popular Front leaders such as Blum, Daladier, and Thorez were elected because they advocated peace, higher wages, and less working hours. The Popular Front leaders refused to expand their military because they believed it was a characteristic of fascism. They also thought anybody who saw Germany as a threat and wanted to mobilize was a fascist (76). The Popular Front thought their policies of peace and neutrality would prevent a war with Germany (195). According to Rene de Chambrun:
"[The Popular Front] encouraged the legends of the German tanks made out of pasteboard, the widespread starvation of the people [,] and the ever-growing unpopularity of Hitler. Every day a new legend was created of fights and quarrels between the Fuehrer and his army, Goering and Goebbels, Hitler and Ribbentrop. It was then that our leaders evolved the theory that Germany was bluffing and that one had only to call the bluff in order to achieve victory. All these lies led to the war of tracts and `wait and see, we can't lose.' It may even be that because they sincerely believed in the inherent weakness of [the] German dictatorship our leaders thought we could win the war by dropping a few pamphlets and tracts over five or six German cities" (195).
Rene de Chambrun believes this form of thinking put France at a significant disadvantage. Germany had a ten to one advantage in equipment and had a two to one advantage of troop strength (196). The Popular Front also mismanaged the military. In one case, they ordered 500,000 men to attack German tank units without anti-tank guns (194). Rene de Chambrun effectively argues that the Popular Front played the biggest role in France's defeat.

Overall, Rene de Chambrun's I Saw France Fall: Will She Rise Again? is a well thought out book, which he argues rightly the case against the Popular Front. The author's statistical data demonstrates that the Popular Front did not do enough to protect France from defeat. Most historians such as Robert Paxton and Julian Jackson have tried to justify the Popular Front's policies as being good for the nation, however, Chambrun noted that socialism is good to a point and there are times when people need to sacrifice their own interest for the security of the nation. This book is a must read for anyone who is looking for a counterpoint to the mainstream perspective of Robert Paxton.