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Born in Cauchy-à-la-Tour (in the Pas-de-Calais département, in the north of France) in 1856
Pétain was a distinguished veteran of World War I, and in particular the Battle of Verdun. As a result of his brilliant defence at Verdun, he became known as the "saviour of Verdun" and hailed as a French hero. Verdun became a symbol of French determination, inspired by Pétain’s declaration: "they shall not pass!"
Due to his remarkable ability and high prestige, Pétain rose to be Commander-in-Chief of the French army during World War I; it could be argued that because of his successful defensive strategy, France survived the devastation of German invasion, thus led to the Allied victory in World War I.
Moreover, it was his advocacy of a defensive strategy that led, in large part, to the construction of the Maginot Line.
After the fall of France during World War II, in the spring of 1940, the Chamber of DeputiesThe Chamber of Deputies is the name given to the lower house of the bicameral legislatures of the following states: Argentina Argentine Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) Belgium Chamber of Deputies of Belgium (Chambre des Representants / Kamer van appointed Pétain as Prime Minister of FranceThis page is a list of French prime ministers . Before the constitution of the Fifth Republic in 1959, there was no official position entitled "Prime Minister" in the French government. Rather, one of the government ministers held the semi-official title and granted him extraordinary powers. The constitutionality of these actions was later challenged by de GaulleCharles Andre Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( November 22, 1890 November 9, 1970), in France commonly referred to as general de Gaulle , was a French general and politician. Prior to the Second World War, he was mostly known as a tactician of tank battles and an's regime, but at the time Pétain was widely accepted as France's saviour. On June 22June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. Events 168 BC Battle of Pydna: Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paullus defeat and capture Macedonian King Perseus, ending the Third Macedonian War he signed an armisticeAn armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. The most famous armistice, the one still meant when people say simply "The Armistice", is the one at the end of World War I, on November 11, 1918. Armistice Day i with Germany that gave the Nazis control over the north and west of the country, including Paris, but left the rest under an "independent" government that located its capital in the resort town of Vichy.
As leader of this semi- fascistic regime a personality cult was set up and Pétain's image was spread throughout France, portraying him as a father figure to the nation. Pétain refused the requests by the Germans and his Deputy Pierre Laval to side with the Axis Powers. Pétain also at first resisted pressure to deport large numbers of France's Jews to German concentration camps. He did provide the Axis with large supplies of manufactured goods and foodstuffs, and also encouraged resistance by Vichy troops in France's colonial empire.
On 11 November 1942 Germany invaded the unoccupied zone in response to the Allied Operation Torch landings in North Africa. Although Vichy law retained nominal legitimacy, Pétain became nothing more than a figurehead for the Nazi regime. On September 7, 1944 he and other members of the Vichy cabinet fled to Sigmaringen and soon after he resigned as leader.
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