William Tyler
Towards and Into Despair: 1918-1940
Summary
France’s war from 1914 to 1918 was a war like Europe had never before witnessed. France, like Britain, was ill prepared for the conflict. However, France suffered far more than Britain as Northern France was left ravaged by the war, not least French industry.
The harsh terms imposed on Germany by The Allies laid the groundwork for the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany. Hitler came to power in 1933, six short years before the outbreak of The Second World War.
The politics of The 3rd Republic remained as divided and as indecisive as ever during the two decades of an uncertain peace. The historian Rod Kedward ascribes the word ‘complacency’ to the French attitude towards Germany - much the same as in Britain.
The late 20s and early 30s brought new financial problems to France in the wake of The Great Crash and subsequent economic downturn.
From 1933, the belligerence of Nazi Germany became gradually more and more apparent. French and British politicians continued to act as though any problems would miraculously disappear. They didn’t, and in September 1939, France found itself once more at war with Germany. This time an Anglo-French Force was unable to prevent the Germans capturing Paris, and the country entered what has been called ‘The Dark Years’, 1940-44.
William Tyler
William Tyler has spent his entire professional life in adult education, beginning at Kingsgate College in 1969. He has lectured widely for many public bodies, including the University of Cambridge and the WEA, in addition to speaking to many clubs and societies. In 2009, William was awarded the MBE for services to adult education, and he has previously been a scholar in residence at the London Jewish Cultural Centre.
Because of the attacks on shipping, because of the telegram they’d intercepted, which looked as though Mexico might come into the war against America and because finally with the overthrow of the tzarist regime, and before the communists come to power, those who had fled tzarist Russia would now support the war and Roosevelt felt confident, sorry, Wilson felt confident to put the vote, to put the vote to Congress before that Wilson was hesitant.
That’s quite a different story and I can’t really go down there. It’s not, I can’t do it in a sentence or two, many Germans stayed, many got out, Czechoslovakia is formed, but it is a client state of Russia. That’s another story for another day.