Épuration in Postwar France: The Purge of Nazi Collaborators
Following the liberation of Paris on August 25, 1944, France experienced Épuration, a process aimed at eliminating Nazi collaborators in two distinct phases. The first phase, known as Épuration sauvage, began in June 1944 and was an unregulated purge that primarily targeted around 20,000 women accused of 'horizontal collaboration.' The second phase, Épuration légale, commenced in September 1944 under the provisional government of Charles de Gaulle, which set up tribunals. These included criminal courts for treason, with notable cases like Philippe Pétain and Pierre Laval, civil trials for 'unpatriotic' behaviors, and symbolic trials, such as that of Arletty, who received an 18-month sentence. By 1951, the purges resulted in roughly 10,000 summary executions and 6,763 death sentences, with 767 executions carried out. De Gaulle commuted over 1,000 sentences, and the last amnesty was enacted in 1953.
Key facts
- Épuration began after the liberation of Paris on August 25, 1944.
- Épuration sauvage was the uncontrolled first wave, targeting women accused of 'horizontal collaboration'.
- About 20,000 French women were affected by the wild purge between 1944 and 1945.
- Épuration légale was the legal purge, starting in September 1944.
- Charles de Gaulle established the General Studies Committee and National Judicial Committee in February 1944.
- The Conseil National de la Résistance defined collaboration offenses on March 15, 1944.
- Three types of tribunals were established under the Ordonnance du 26 juin 1944.
- Philippe Pétain was sentenced to death in 1945 but commuted to life imprisonment by de Gaulle.
- Pierre Laval was sentenced to death in October 1945.
- Coco Chanel fled to Switzerland and returned to France in 1950.
- About 10,000 summary executions occurred during the initial liberation.
- French courts issued 6,763 death sentences up until 1951, with about 767 executions carried out.
- De Gaulle commuted over 1,000 death sentences.
- The final amnesty was passed in 1953.
Entities
Artists
- Charles de Gaulle
- Philippe Pétain
- Pierre Laval
- Arletty
- Coco Chanel
- Jacqueline de Broglie
- Daisy Fellowes
- David Bruce
- Antony Beevor
- Francois de Menthon
- Francois Mauriac
- Jean Larrieu
Institutions
- Vichy government
- Provisional Government of the French Republic
- Free France
- General Studies Committee
- National Judicial Committee
- Conseil National de la Résistance
- National World War II Museum
- US National Archives
- Wikimedia Commons
- Ministre des Armées et des Anciens combattants
- Chemins de Mémoire
- Library of Congress
- Deutsches Bundesarchiv
Locations
- France
- Paris
- Algiers
- Montélimar
- Cherbourg
- Besancon
- Switzerland
- New Orleans
- Washington DC
- Koblenz