- The 1 st September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. In response, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. After the episode of the "phoney war", where French troops faced German troops along the Maginot Line, the Germans launched a large-scale offensive on May 10, 1940 through the Ardennes. Within days, the French army was crushed. On June 14, the Germans entered Paris.
- De Gaulle, then a brigadier general, returns from a mission to London on 16 June. The same day, Paul Reynaud, President of the Council of Ministers, resigns. Marshal Pétain is called to form a new government.
June 18, 1940
Characters
Charles de Gaulle
Winston Churchill
Philippe Pétain
Procedure
De Gaulle reached London on June 17:he was received by Churchill, who allowed him to speak on the BBC. The call of June 18 echoes Pétain's speech on the French airwaves, which informs the French that he will put an end to the conflict with the Germans.
Around 8 p.m., de Gaulle called, on the contrary, to continue the fight, placing the conflict in the broader context of a world war, while the United States had still not entered the conflict. The very short text reminds us that France is not alone, and that it can count on its colonial Empire, Great Britain and American industry. The speech is heard by very few French people, but part of the text is subsequently printed by newspapers and is thus distributed on the territory.
Consequences
- The government of Pétain, following the appeal, condemns de Gaulle to death by a military tribunal on August 2, 1940.
- If the text has a strong memorial significance, its immediate significance is quickly measured, especially by the Communists:they publish a leaflet, the Appel du 10 Juillet , also called People of France . The communists take up the argument of French patriotism, while integrating the class struggle.
- In French collective memory, the appeal of June 18 is often confused with the blue-white-red framed poster, published later and beginning with these words:“To all French people. France has lost a battle, it has not lost the war” .
- After the Second World War, and when de Gaulle became a statesman, he was unhappy that he was reduced to "the man of the appeal of June 18", when he participated to unite the Resistance movement and that he was recognized by the Allies as a legitimate representative of Free France.