French State

The French State (État Français), also referred to as Vichy France, is a country located in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Iberian Union to the south, the Republic of Brittany to the west, the Italian Empire to the south-east, the SS State of Burgundy to the north, and the Kingdom of England across the channel to the north-west.

The country is a fascist German client state, whose politics and military are heavily influenced by that of Germany and Burgundy.

As a German client state, the French State is a member of the Einheitspakt. The faction status of the French State is being a Mitstreiter.

Contents

 * History
 * World War II and formation
 * Early years
 * Post-war years
 * Economy
 * Military
 * Politics
 * In-game
 * National spirits

World War II and formationedit | edit source
After the defeat of the allied armies in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg in 1940 and the British evacuation of their forces from Dunkirk to England, the french front collapsed and the forces of Germany were able to quickly overrun northern France, capturing Paris without a fight. With the french military teetering on the brink of collapse, the French government (having been evacuated from Paris to Vichy) concluded a ceasefire and subsequent armistice with Germany, effectively surrendering the whole country. The French government was allowed to remain in power but its effective jurisdiction was limited to the unoccupied "Free Zone" in southern France, constituting roughly 45% of Metropolitan France's pre-war territory.

In the following months, the French government was extensively reorganized; Marshal Philippe Pétain became "Chief of State" (effectively making him both head of state of and head of government at the same time with both offices being merged into one) and a new constitution was drafted, giving Pétain extraordinary powers. Through this, Pétain effectively abolished the Third French Republic and replaced it with the French State (État Français), also known as the French Nation (Nation Français), or colloquially/commonly known as Vichy France (Régime de Vichy), a unitary authoritarian dictatorship.

Early yearsedit | edit source
The Vichy Regime would remain in place from its inception in 1940, during which it attempted to carry out a series of social/societal transformation programs named the "National Revolution" and "National Regeneration". The Vichy Regime enjoyed diplomatic recognition from the majority of the Axis and Allies and was recognized as the official government of the entirety of metropolitan France except for Alsace-Lorraine and Savoy, which were occupied and annexed by Germany and Italy, respectively.

After World War II ended with an Axis victory, Vichy France was forced to sign the crushing Treaty of Vichy which placed extreme restrictions on the french military, state-sponsored research-and-development as well as giving German forces free movement and reign over French territory. The French colonial empire was partitioned between Germany, Italy, Japan and Iberia- The devastation of World War II and the Treaty coupled with the loss of its entire colonial empire save the city of Algiers itself, brought about an era of economic stagnation and decline in France.

Post-war yearsedit | edit source
Although World War II was now over, things would not get much better for Vichy France. Not long after the end of the war, Marshal Philippe Pétain would pass away from old age and in his place, the far-right lawyer and politician Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour would be appointed as leader. Tixier-Vignancour, however, enjoyed none of the popularity of the late Marshal and subsequently, the French government began to become increasingly unpopular with the French people, with approval ratings plummetting and marches, protests, strikes, and other unrest becoming a regular occurrence.

The West Russian War, the Schutzstaffel Rebellion in Germany, and the post-war German economic crash would serve to make Vichy France's situation even worse. The French economy, already struggling from the effects of World War II and the Treaty of Vichy, fell flat. The ensuing economic meltdown left Vichy France more or less dependent on Germany for economic sustenance, a country whose economy was looking rather worse for wear. To top it all off, a large chunk of territory in eastern Metropolitan France (including eastern Paris) was ripped off from France to form the SS State of Burgundy, essentially a personal fiefdom of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler.

Vichy France in 1962 is a fallen star. Its economy is in shambles, its government is unpopular, its politics are a chaotic mess, its colonial empire is but a bygone memory, its military is restricted to being borderline non-existent, about a third of its territory has been ripped off to the SS, and even its capital is split in half by the new internal border. Things are not looking good for France.

Economyedit | edit source
Still laboring from the devastation of World War II and the restrictions placed upon them by the Treaty of Vichy, the French State was heavily reliant on the German economy for sustenance and thus became one of the worst-affected Pakt members during the 1950's crash. In 1962, the economy is still struggling, receiving very little help from Berlin.

Militaryedit | edit source
The French military is under crippling restrictions on the number of personnel and equipment, effectively reducing it to a borderline token ceremonial force. The armed forces of the French State are banned from fielding an air force.

The region surrounding the north-west border with Burgundy is demilitarized, similar to Southern England's demilitarized zone.

Politicsedit | edit source
The French State is led by the fascist National Party.

In-gameedit | edit source
At the start of the game, the French State controls what is left of France, that was not taken by Burgundy or Brittany. After the outbreak of the German Civil War, Burgundy will declare war on the State; while it is possible (albeit very difficult) for a player-controlled French State to defeat Burgundy as shown (here). If left up to the AI, Burgundy will always win this conflict, and both Burgundy and Brittany will seize land from the State (but will not completely annex it).

After the Burgundian invasion, the nation will eventually find itself as one of the five nations (alongside the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the Kingdom of Romania, the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Serbian Republic) that Germany and Italy will compete over in the Italian-German Great Game; it can either become a puppet of one of the two nations, or it can find neither country's offers appealing and instead opt to isolate itself from further affairs. If Italy wins the Great Game, then this can lead to the French State joining either the Organization of Free Nations or the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, depending on who is victorious in the Battle for Italy.

If the player manages to win the Italian-German Great Game as Germany under Albert Speer, they will have the option of supporting the French State invading Brittany in an attempt to regain their lost land from that state, provided that Brittany is not also part of the Einheitspakt if they take the "Land of Wine and Strife" decision. If the invasion fails, France will break out into civil war.