Philippe Petain
Philippe Petain, (Henri) (1856-1951). French general and politician, head of the Vichy regime in unoccupied France (1941-42). The son of a peasant family, Petain graduated from the St Cyr military academy in 1878. He later became an instructor at the Ecole de Guerre (1888-1915). During World War I Petain was promoted to general and became a national hero for his stubborn defence of Verdun (1916). He was commander-in-chief of French forces for most of 1917 (until replaced by Foch). After the war, Main served in high-ranking administrative posts and became minister of war in 1934. In the view of many historians, his old-fashioned defensive notions were a major factor in France’s defeat in 1940. Having been appointed prime minister (1940) at: the height of the crisis, he negotiated an armistice with Germany that left the north of the country occupied and the south (Vichy France) as a Nazi puppet state. Petain then headed the administration in Vichy until the Germans invaded in 1942. Following the liberation he was sentenced to death for treason (1945). Owing to his advanced age and former reputation, this sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
