Research Paper on:
Career of Henri Phillipe Petain

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
French patriot and as one who collaborated with the Germans in World War II in spite of the negative influence of that collaboration on the French quest for freedom from  German occupation. His Fascist-oriented government was associated with a number of blights on French history. Indeed, Petain is perhaps best remembered not for his heroism at the Battle of  Verdun in World War I defending France against the Germans but for his part in the deployment of tens upon thousands of French, Spanish, and Eastern European Jews to German  concentration camps in World War II (Kitson, 2002). This would indeed appear to be a negative blight on Petains career. It can be contended, however, that despite his  apparent collaboration with the Germans, Petain can still be considered a French patriot. He was simply caught up in the circumstances of the time.  Despite French wishes to the contrary, Germany had occupied France and what was left for Petain was to deal with that occupation in the manner which  was best for his country. It can be contended, in fact, that Petains collaboration with the Germans in World War II allowed him to keep French troops from fighting  alongside the Nazis. The alliance of the French troops was indeed a matter of speculation. Indeed, the British attacked the French fleet at Taranto while they were laying  in port because of the uncertainty which existed as to which side they would ultimately support (Sulzberger, 1966). The precarious position held by France was not new. Crane  (2002, PG) reports that in an attack on the Western Front Petain and his troops were so distressed that: