French Empire at War, 1940-1945

General editor's introduction ix Acknowledgements x Abbreviations xii Maps xiv Introduction 1 Part I: The inter-war background 1 The inter-war empire and French defence 10 The legacy of the First World War 10 The disappointments of inter-war reform 14 The further frustration of reform, 1936-39 20 Popular imperialism and colonial development 24 Imperial defence on the eve of war 27 Part II: Clashes of French empire in Africa, 1940-41 2 Territories divided, June-December 1940 38 Colonial governments and the fall of France 38 Colonial support for Free France: Indo-China 45 Colonial support for Free France: French Africa 49 Free French successes in AEF 53 Vichy reaction to Free French success in Africa 60 3 The empire between the Axis and the Allies, 1940-41 70 Uneasy coexistence: Vichy and Free French territories in Africa 70 The attack on Dakar and the seizure of Gabon 75 Early collaborationism in the Vichy empire 80 Free French retrenchment and British support 84 Contacts with General Weygand 87 Collaborationism in the Mediterranean and the Levant 92 Part III: The second wave of Free French empire, 1941-45 4 The empire goes to war: the Syrian campaign and Free French administration in the Levant, 1941-45 100 France and the Levant 100 Background to the 1941 invasion 101 Operation Exporter and its aftermath 105 Free French administration 107 Contested authority in Syria and Lebanon 113 Free French control in crisis 117 5 Empire as diplomatic incident: St Pierre and Miquelon and the Madagascar invasion, 1942 130 The French imperial position in 1942 130 The St Pierre and Miquelon affair 134 Background to the invasion of Madagascar 139 The Madagascar take-over 144 The installation of Free French administration in Madagascar 150 6 Operation Torch and Free French imperial supremacy in Africa, 1942-45 159 Operation Torch and the Darlan interlude 159 North African nationalism before and after Torch 165 The Giraud de Gaulle unity talks 171 Gaullist rule in French North Africa 177 The Setif outbreak 184 7 The fate of French Indo-China, 1940-45 191 Fighting for survival: Decoux's first months in office 191 Consolidation of the Decoux regime 195 French Indo-China isolated 199 Plans for liberation 204 Liberation frustrated: the Japanese coup and the end of the war 210 Part IV: Contrasting colonial policies 8 A new imperial order? 224 AOF and AEF 225 Syria and Lebanon 234 French North Africa 237 Indo-China 244 To Brazzaville and beyond 249 Conclusion 259 Bibliography 265 Index 289