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History of France, 1930-1950
France since The Popular Front: Government and People 1936-1996France since The Popular Front: Government and People 1936-1996 by Maurice Larkin
Buy new: £30.40 / Used from: £27.76
The best book to cover this period.
France Between the Wars: Gender and PoliticsFrance Between the Wars: Gender and Politics by Sian Reynolds
Buy new: £19.94 / Used from: £9.98
Excellent study of gender.
France, 1934-70 (European Studies)France, 1934-70 (European Studies) by Richard Vinen
Buy new: £23.74 / Used from: £10.22
Puts the war in a slightly longer perspective.
French Intellectuals and History: "Nouvelle Revue Francaise" Under Jean Paulhan, 1925-1940 (Faux Titre)French Intellectuals and History: "Nouvelle Revue Francaise" Under Jean Paulhan, 1925-1940 (Faux Titre) by Martyn Cornick
Buy used from: £53.44
Interaction between history and culture by a talented scholar.
The French at War 1934-1944The French at War 1934-1944 by Nicholas Atkin
Buy new: £12.99 / Used from: £5.00
A clearly written synthesis although the real title is 'French at war, 1934-1944'
Communism and Collaboration: Simon Sabiani and Politics in Marseille, 1919-44Communism and Collaboration: Simon Sabiani and Politics in Marseille, 1919-44 by Paul Jankowski
Buy used from: £9.70
One of the most readable books about any history. Really captures your attention.
Marianne In Chains: In Search of the German Occupation 1940-45Marianne In Chains: In Search of the German Occupation 1940-45 by Robert Gildea
Buy used from: £0.01
Interesting local study.
The Politics of French Business 1936-1945The Politics of French Business 1936-1945 by Richard Vinen
Buy new: £28.49 / Used from: £32.51
Controversial but with flashes of brilliance.
Petain (Profiles In Power)Petain (Profiles In Power) by Nicholas Atkin
Buy used from: £4.20
A well-balanced biography.
France Under the GermansFrance Under the Germans by Philippe Burrin
Buy used from: £6.92
An important study although underplays the Resistance.
De Gaulle (Profiles In Power)De Gaulle (Profiles In Power) by A. Shennan
Buy new: £17.99 / Used from: £0.01
Very clear biography of an important figure to emerge during the period.
Resistance in Western EuropeResistance in Western Europe
Buy new: £17.09 / Used from: £11.50
Only one chapter focused solely on France but the text is excellent for putting France in comparative perspective.
The Forgotten French: Exiles in the British Isles, 1940-44The Forgotten French: Exiles in the British Isles, 1940-44 by Nicholas Atkin
Buy used from: £0.15
The French in Britain who did NOT join de Gaulle.
The Holocaust and the Jews of Marseille: The Enforcement of Anti-Semitic Policies in Vichy FranceThe Holocaust and the Jews of Marseille: The Enforcement of Anti-Semitic Policies in Vichy France by Donna F. Ryan
Buy used from: £22.95
A local study of the French contribution to the holocaust.
Nimes at War: Religion, Politics and Public Opinion in the Gard, 1938-44Nimes at War: Religion, Politics and Public Opinion in the Gard, 1938-44 by Robert Zaretsky
Buy used from: £7.44
Excellent local study.
The French Empire at War, 1940-45 (Studies in Imperialism)The French Empire at War, 1940-45 (Studies in Imperialism) by Martin Thomas
Buy used from: £80.00
One of the best books ever written about the French Empire.
The politics of resistance in France, 19401944: A history of the Mouvements unis de la RésistanceThe politics of resistance in France, 19401944: A history of the Mouvements unis de la Résistance by John F Sweets
Buy used from: £27.91
Politics and Resistance, Resistance and Politics. Excellent stuff.
Rethinking France: Plans for Renewal 1940-1946Rethinking France: Plans for Renewal 1940-1946 by Andrew Shennan
Buy new: £66.50 / Used from: £24.48
A well researched and well organised study of plans for rebuilding French society.
France, 1943-1945 (The Politics of Liberation Series)France, 1943-1945 (The Politics of Liberation Series) by Hilary Footitt
Buy used from: £23.71
An excellent account of the Liberation.
Bourgeois Politics in France, 1945-1951Bourgeois Politics in France, 1945-1951 by Richard Vinen
Buy new: £33.25 / Used from: £37.47
The rebuilding process.
The Legacy of Nazi Occupation: Patriotic Memory and National Recovery in Western Europe, 1945-1965 (Studies in the Social & Cultural History of Modern ... and Cultural History of Modern Warfare)The Legacy of Nazi Occupation: Patriotic Memory and National Recovery in Western Europe, 1945-1965 (Studies in the Social & Cultural History of Modern ... and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) by Pieter Lagrou
Buy new: £66.50 / Used from: £47.50
Trying to use the past to create positive images- with a comparative angle.
Vichy's Afterlife: History and Counterhistory in Postwar FranceVichy's Afterlife: History and Counterhistory in Postwar France by Richard J. Golsan
Buy new: £22.79 / Used from: £17.54
Superb study of Vichy's 'after-life'.
The Papon Affair: Memory and Justice on TrialThe Papon Affair: Memory and Justice on Trial
Buy new: £21.84 / Used from: £14.12
The complexities of bringing an old man to trial for war-time actions.
Vichy: An Ever-Present Past (Contemporary French Culture & Society)Vichy: An Ever-Present Past (Contemporary French Culture & Society) by Eric Conan
Buy used from: £54.56
Important for understanding memory of Vichy.
The Vichy Syndrome: History and Memory in France Since 1944The Vichy Syndrome: History and Memory in France Since 1944 by H Rousso
Buy new: £18.77 / Used from: £11.00
A must for understanding the effect Vichy had on the post-war world.