(Recent) French History.

Over the last few weeks I've been watching a documentary about Vietnam and as the old colonial power, France, obviously, played a large role in the earlier parts of the documentary. Being British I understood France's colonial role and the actions that may now seem unbelievable but I was shocked to learn about France's collaboration with the Japanese during and after world war II in the country. I was also surprised at how much money the Americans gave to the French after World War II for France to attempt to suppress the vietnamese - especially considering that the Americans were taking money from England - who were relatively poor at the time and still under rations (England lived under rations until 1954).

A few years ago I read a long and detailed book about Auschwitz and was appalled to read that France had been the first country (under the Vichy govt.) to send jews for extermination there (not for imprisonment but for death).

My question to you is are students taught any of this at school? Did you know it happened? If so, from where? and what are you opinions on it?

I realise it's a "delicate" subject but I'm sure you are all of an age to have a view and be able to air it reasonably.

You highlight a big problem in the history of each country : historians choose the version they prefer, because the spirit of the country will depend on it.
So in my memories, there is no part overwhelming the actions of France, in all that we have learned. We just saw that there was a small part of French people taking part of this situation, who were part of the "collabos" and therefore who participated in the extermination of Jewish people by bringing them back to the Germans.
But we never heard that we was the first country to do that. It's an enormous mistake to leave the following generations in denial of the atrocity of the actions of the country’s ancestors.
Btw maybe our history teachers had the courage to mention it to us but I don’t remember (I was perhaps not listening enough). I guess it would have marked our minds. Instead, we have a pessimistic view of Germany by demonizing it when we were not an example...
Maybe one day I will reconsider my actual knowledge about war history and will seek to deepen it with more valuable and less manipulated sources.

Hello John;

I join Emma in her opinion concerning that historians choose the version they prefer to show. But, I would especially add that most of the time, behind historians there are politicians.
In fact, I think that most of the time historians try their best to show the reality, but politians protect this reality and chose what is to be published or not and even what is to be said or not.
Actually, most of the time, politicians don't need to hide such facts, they just create other facts and create stories around it, so as people won't be interested in the truth or the reality of the facts.
And, media don't really arrange things. They help hide the truth by focusing on other subjects that are some times not interesting.

And you John, what do you think about the influence of politicians in hiding some truth about history of countries ?

Zaineb Hemandi wrote:Hello John;

I join Emma in her opinion concerning that historians choose the version they prefer to show. But, I would especially add that most of the time, behind historians there are politicians.
In fact, I think that most of the time historians try their best to show the reality, but politians protect this reality and chose what is to be published or not and even what is to be said or not.
Actually, most of the time, politicians don't need to hide such facts, they just create other facts and create stories around it, so as people won't be interested in the truth or the reality of the facts.
And, media don't really arrange things. They help hide the truth by focusing on other subjects that are some times not interesting.

And you John, what do you think about the influence of politicians in hiding some truth about history of countries ?

The victors supply the facts.

This topic reminds me my history lessons when I was in high school... I always loved this teaching!! I was lapping up everything my teachers said (ok I searched this expression on google I'm not sure about its translation). I miss these lessons.
To answer to your question, yes I taught these stories. However, as Emma said, each country relates its own version, I mean the real one but sometime it forgets to relate one or two things... And unfortunately, to my opinion they have a restricted point of view because they have the French point of view (if they're French) so it hinder to have a global point of view on the situation thus it's difficult to built our own opinion.

Hell

Hello !
I don't think that this subject is "delicate" because our generation has the hindsight to understand the II World War.
I remember very well my history lessons in high school because I love this subject!
From what I remember, my history teacher tell us about the important role of France in the collaboration with the german but, I don't think she told us about that France had been the first country to send jews to extermination camps..
But I'm not stupid, everyone knows that history books in all the countries are not impartial.
I know that french collaboration was very organized and they didn't hesitate to jeopardise the families in order to send more and more jews in extermination camps.
Then, during my second year of high school I went one week in Poland so I went to Auschwitz, I will remember it all my life.
I can't understand how humans can do such horrible things, i think that everyone should go there to really understand the II world war.
Moreover, french people crtizise a lot German nazis but the French collaborators did not do better.

In my opinion, this horrible war and this hatred of Jews was born because of the crisis and the legend that Jews are always rich so, in a context of poverty, the population always chooses a culprit.
What about now ? Unfortunatly, we have not learned the lessons of the past and french population has found his culprit .... I think you know what I mean
But I am still optimistic because our genration can change all of this and with education we can do better !

Bye!