France and the »Dark Years«

The Vichy regime, founded in 1940 following the German victory over France, was for many years seen as an illegitimate state that could be separated from the history of the »Grande Nation«. It was not until the 1970s that critical research began to question the myth surrounding the collective Résistance and to examine the many facets of collaboration more closely.

Henry Rousso has contributed more than any other to the establishment of contemporary history in France. In this volume he reflects upon the difficult relationship between the French and Vichy and looks back at his own path as an academic in the area of conflict between history, memory and jurisdiction. At the same time he discusses the changing role of the science of history in society - and warns us of the danger of the political instrumentalisation of research findings.

The Author
Henry Rousso, born in 1954, researches at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique. He also teaches as a professor at the University Paris-Ouest-Nanterre »La Défense« and at the elite academy »Sciences Po«. Amongst his many publications, the following has been published in German: Vichy. Frankreich unter deutscher Besatzung 1940-1944 (Vichy. France under German occupation, 1940-1944, 2009).