The Vichy regime was the French government that came after the Third Republic in the year 1940 (ed., 1). Many historians say that Vichy France was a very dark and unfortunate time. Vichy was a wartime government in a city south of Paris called Vichy. It was established by Marshal Philippe Pétain after the surrender of France to Germany on 22 June 1940 (ed., 1). On the same day, France was divided into two zones: one under German military occupation and the other left to the French. There were, however, some areas of France that were unoccupied (Holocaust). Not long after the creation of the new government, Pierre Laval joined it and soon became the main architect of the regime (ed., 2). Laval was the man who allowed Pétain to create a new constitution to have full legislative and executive powers in the French state (McMahon). Pétain was a beloved hero of World War II. Although the Vichy government lasted four years, there was never a new constitution (McMahon, 1). Vichy France, known as the “French State,” would rule the south, and most of France's overseas colonies would remain loyal to Vichy. There was a time when Laval fell from power due to close collaboration with the Germans. Petain and a man named Charles Maurras wrote that Vichy was in a period of attentisme, or wait and see, with their country in conflict, Germany (McMahon). For a time, Vichy was a corporate state and the slogan “Freedom, equality, fraternity” changed to “Work, family, homeland” (McMahon). By April 1942, Germany was at war with the Soviet Union and the United States, and Laval was back in power. "Many leaders of the Vichy government continued to be powerful after Germany's seizure of power in 1942, and the period of V... middle of paper... area (Case). This may have surprised some people but that doesn't surprise me. It would take a very cold and mean hearted person to be able to treat people this way and lead them to their deaths, not just innocent people and children, just because they were Jews human beings in brutal living conditions and that in the end their deaths must have cost many officers dearly, thus leading some of them to help in secret, which was the right thing to do. Knowing the Vichy government was a struggle, but a very interesting topic. Knowing that two men can control an entire government is scary. Overall, the Vichy government was simply a dark time for France. As France was divided into two halves and had the Vel'd'. HIV, the Vichy government did more harm than help and I think many historians realize this.