Vichy Syndrome

The Vichy Syndrome is a term originating in a 1980s book describing how the French attempt to separate their national history from the war crimes committed under the Vichy regime during World War II. They react with guilt, denial, and shame.

At his trial, Petain tried to describe a "sword and shield" strategy where the Vichy government attempted to protect metropolitan France while de Gaulle and the rest of the empire came to its rescue.