Affiche du Maréchal Pétain
The French Republic is replaced by a " French State " where the Pétain marshal has the full powerss.
(Poster official of 1940)

Emblème of the French State
The francisque one with the stick of marshal and the currency


" the French State "

The new mode is built around the personality of the Pétain marshal. A true worship of the personality is set up around this old man (84 years in 1940).
For the period of Vichy, Pétain is the head of the French State. It directs a mode which can be compared to a dictatorship since the Pétain marshal has all the capacities. These full powerss were entrusted to him, to one crushing majority, by a vote of the deputies and senators, July 10, 1940, in Vichy.
To still sit its authority but also " to condemn the persons in charge of the French defeat ", the leaders of IIIéme République are stopped (Edouard Daladier, Leon Blum). From 1942, these politicians are judged with the lawsuit of Riom: no decision will be made but they will remain in prison or will be delivered to the Nazis to be off-set.

"The national Revolution "
The Pétain marshal and his entourage want to build a new model of authoritative, paternalist, catholic State and corporatist. This will to reform the company and the political life Frenchwomen is called the " national Revolution ".
The " national Revolution " is built around the currency " Work, Famille, Patrie " which replaces during 4 years the currency " Freedom, Egalité, Fraternité ".

Work : the professions are organized by the Charter of Work (October 1941) This charter founds corporations by branches of activities, with an aim of supporting the agreement between owner and workman, and of avoiding the class struggle. It also makes it possible at the State to control the corporations (what enables him to fix the prices and the wages), and to encourage the installation of large companies also controlled by the State. To fight against any disorder, the Charter of Work dissolves the trade unions and prohibits the strike. Lastly, the Charter of Work privileges the agricultural corporation.

Family : the French State honours the large families, and in a more general way the housewife (introduction of the Mother's Day). To protect the family, the divorce is made almost impossible and the abortion is severly condemned.

Fatherland : youth is high in the worship of the Fatherland and the Marshal, this within the school (song " Marshal, here us are!"), but also within the framework of "Building sites of youth" (8 months of life in group). Effigies, busts, songs... celebrate the Fatherland and the defense of this one by Pétain.


On the legal level, the legality of the mode of Vichy is actually highly contestable for at least two principal reasons. The first is due to the fact that if the law of February 25, 1875 relating to the organization of the public authorities gives the possibility to the National Assembly of revising the constitutional laws, it cannot delegate this power. It is however what it did on July 10, 1940 in favour of the government of Marshal PETAIN. The Members of Parliament thus violated the constitution of 1875. The second is based on the law of bearing 14 August 1884 revision partial of the constitutional laws and which indicates that the republican shape of the government cannot be the subject of a proposal for a revision. It is known, " the French State " was not the Republic.

THE LAW OF FEBRUARY 25, 1875 RELATIVE
WITH THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES
....
ART. 8. - The rooms will have the right, by separate deliberations catches in each one in the majority absolute of the voices, either spontaneously, or on the request of the President of the Republic, to declare that it is necessary to revise the constitutional laws - After each of the two rooms will have taken this resolution, they will meet as a national Assembly to proceed to the revision - deliberations revising constitutional law, in all or partly, will have to be taken in the majority absolute of the members composing the national Assembly - However, throughout capacity conferred by the law from November 20, 1873 to Mr. marshal of Mac-Mahon, this revision.
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Law of 14 August 1884, bearing revision partial of the constitutional laws.
....
ART. 2. - Paragraph 3 of article 8 of the same law is supplemented as it follows: - " the republican shape of the government cannot be the subject of a proposal for a revision - " the members of the families having reigned on France are ineligible with the presidency of the Republic. "


To deepen