After the capitulation of France in May 1940, that country was divided into two parts. The north and west were occupied by German forces, while the southeast part of the country was ruled by a nominally independent government headed by Marshall Pétain, who set up his headquarters in the town of Vichy. The French mandates of Morocco and Tunisia and the province of Algeria also came under this government.
The Vichy government collaborated with the Germans on a large scale, including implementing the measures against the Jews and handing Jews over to the German forces. Vichy France too was eventually occupied by Nazi Germany, in 1944.
Term
Vichy
Town in France that served as the seat of the French government during the Second World War. This government was independent, but had close ties with Nazi Germany.
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