Philippe Pétain
Chief of the French State · 1940-1944 · born on 24 April 1856, died on 23 July 1951
Marshal of France, hero of Verdun (1916), Philippe Pétain became head of the French State in 1940 after the defeat by Germany.
The Vichy regime he led collaborated with Nazi Germany: antisemitic laws, round-ups, compulsory labour service. Sentenced to death in 1945 then pardoned, he died in 1951 on the island of Yeu.
In the tree of power
- Era: Vichy Regime
- Predecessor: Albert Lebrun (1932-1940)
- Successor: Charles de Gaulle (GPRF) (1944-1946)