ABSTRACT
The Vichy state became the rallying point for all those who blamed the fall of France on what they perceived to be the decadent Third Republic (1871-1946), which apparently had been cor rupted by the so-called evils of Jewish, Masonic, Communist, and other “foreign” influences. The Vichy regime based its ideology of “National Revo lution” upon the conservative values of homeland, family, and work. It adopted the principles of “Order, Authority, and Patriotism” in preference to the old republican values of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Vichy was xenophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-Communist, anti-socialist, and anti-republi can. The Vichy regime scorned all libertarian and democratic values. Yet, despite the development of a considerable number of Fascist organizations in France before and during World War II, Vichy was not overtly Fascist, and in its early days, was the only state to retain some semblance of autonomy in Hitlers Europe.
