French 20th Century Survivor: ROUND SIXTY-FOUR

[Edu]

Darlan

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

In order to clear a field from all Vichy traitors: "amiralissimus" Darlan

[JWHart]

Darlan

[big bad fab]

After this Vichy cleansing, it will really be interesting to see if the forum go after dumb ones from 3rd and 4th republics (I mean, leaders who weren't leaders), aim at colonialists or turn to modern ones because of partial knowledge of the past.

I'll try to vote early, but not sure.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Darlan

If there is one Vichyist/Collabo in government, it's not Besson, it's Hortefeux. He's pretty much an avowed racist and would have been the first to join on the "travail, famille, patrie" bandwagon in June 1940.

Precisely : Hortefeux would be the ideologue ( Pétain ), and Besson would be the swindling ( Laval ).

Houlà...
A very complex debate.

I agree Pétain was full of ideology. Some extreme collaborationists as well.
But MOST of Vichysts were either "sincere" (they really thought war was the most awful thing on earth, because of WWI, which changed French minds A LOT), or opportunistic, or coward, spineless.

So, Hortefeux may of course have been on the wrong side, but more by being opportunistic (Estrosi even more), like Mitterrand.
Bertrand, but also guys like Bayrou, Bartolone, Hollande, may have been spineless and on the wrong side too, whatever their ideas today.

Anyway, Vichy would have been a good test for anyone's personality, but don't forget we can't judge everyone: how would we have done if our families or persons whom we love would have been threatened ?

I'm not of those who love to demonize all the "collabos". I perfectly understand why so many frech people chose to accept the current situation thinking that it was the only thing to do. My contempt only goes to the members of the political and intellecual class, who were more or less aware of the real situation and the purposes of Germany. I'm talking about the active Vichyst, like Pétain and Laval. Those ones are unforgivable.
Bayrou, Hollande, may have been the deputies who voted the full powers to Pétain, but not those who would became members of the vichyst ruling class.

[Hash]

Darlan eliminated unanimously.

Round FIVE is open. Vote away.

Another collabo: Camille Chautemps

[Хahar 🤔]

Chautemps

[Antonio the Sixth]

Chautemps

[big bad fab]

Next round, I'll try to have a "spicier" vote, but I agree Chautemps deserves to go.

So, Camille Chautemps.

[Edu]

Chautemps

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Chautemps

[Lincoln Republican]

Chirac

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Chautemps

[Antonio the Sixth]

Chirac

Poor Jacquot ! Is that a protest vote against Kalwejt's vote for Balladur ?

[Hash]

Chautemps is out quasi-unanimously.

Round SIX is open. Vote away.

Collabos are out, but we still have a few 3eme guys who voted full powers. I vote for Fernand Bouisson, not the level of a scumbag like Pierre Laval, but his government included future collabos and he voted full powers.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Andre Marie.

Just a quintessence of period of dominance of mostly mediocre "leaders" during Fourth Republic.

[big bad fab]

Gosh, Hash's choice is accurate.

Bouisson is the quintessential inter-WW compromise guy, almost a simple caretaker. He was speaker of the Chambre des Députés during a very long period. He has done nothing noticeable. And he voted full powers to Pétain in 1940.

I vote for Bouisson.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Bouisson

[Хahar 🤔]

Daladier, the great traitor of the Left.

[MaxQue]

Bouisson

[Hash]

Bouisson is out.

Round SEVEN is open. Vote away. I vote for Joseph Laniel

[MaxQue]

Antoine Pinay

[big bad fab]

Hash is really a "great voter" in his own survivor...

But, well, I vote for Georges Bidault.

A senior member of Resistance, BUT so "Algérie Française" that he became a seditious and exiled man.
And not a very effective head of government.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Pinay.

He voted the full-powers... and I can't bear the CNIP.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Georges Bidault