Petain

Petain by Charles Sweeny is a pamphlet in which Sweeny defends Marshal Philippe Pétain, the French World War I hero of Verdun and later head of the Vichy government during World War II. Sweeny admired Pétain greatly and chose to overlook many of the negative aspects of his leadership, including his collaboration with the Nazis during the Occupation of France. The work was privately printed and reflects Sweeny’s perspective on Pétain, emphasizing his military achievements while downplaying his controversial role in the Vichy regime. After the war, Pétain was convicted of treason, sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment), and died in exile in 1951.