/1 "France gave up in 1940" is a persistent myth for those who don't take into account longer historical trends. France was the one great power that opposed German aggression from 1920-1939. The other 3 great powers, UK, USSR & US realized Germany was powerful & wanted to ally it

/2 The UK pursued a policy of appeasement, in the 1920s USSR illegally produced weapons for it in exchange for technical expertise then partitioned Poland with it, while policymakers in D.C. & financiers on Wall Street supported Hitler to prevent a communist revolution.

/3 France was the one great power that opposed Germany before 1939 but by that time it was too late. Germany invaded France while the USSR split Poland with it, while Britain could retreat to its island & the US was safe from Nazism on the other side of the world.

/4 After WW2 the brave Allied soldiers were mythologized; rightly so, though Free French Forces and the Resistance haven't been as appreciated. But while UK/USSR/US soldiers were heroes, policymakers in all 3 of these countries supported the Third Reich before 1939.

/5 'France gave up' is partially an attempt by the other 3 great powers to cover up for the fact that their leaders supported Nazi Germany in its early stages. By scapegoating French as cowards the policymakers covered up their grave error through the mythologizing of soldiers

/6 Again, every soldier who fought fascism deserves to be called a hero regardless of nation. I am merely pointing out that so often the histories of WW2 look at the Allies who beat the Nazis 1939-1945 & not the policymakers who abetted the Third Reich.

/7 for more on this and other myths, see the podcast episode I did on myths about French history with @fakehistoryhunt: https://www.thefrenchhistorypodcast.com/podcast/french-history-myths-with-the-fake-history-hunter-jo-teeuwisse/

Thoughts on this thread, Mr. Ambassador, as a scholar of history and diplomacy? I suppose another explanation for this historical revisionism is just laziness, as people look at WW2 as just 1939-1945 & not a longer conflict; though Francophobia is probably a factor @GerardAraud