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Weygand, Maxime
Weygand, Maxime (b. 21 Jan. 1867, d. 18 Jan. 1965). French general Born in Brussels, he was commissioned into the French army in 1888. He was Chief of Staff to General Foch in World War I, and in 1920 was sent to aid the Poles in their ultimately successful defence against the advancing Red Army. In 1923–4 he was high commissioner of Syria and the Lebanon. A member of the war council 1924–9, he became Chief of the French General Staff 1930–5, when he completed the subjection of Morocco. In May 1940 he was called from retirement to command the French army. Unable to stem the German advance, he pressed for capitulation, effectively overruling Prime Minister Reynaud. He was Minister of Defence for the Vichy government from June to September 1940, and was then sent to North Africa as Marshal Pétain's emissary. Dismissed in 1941 as a result of German pressure, he was arrested and interned in Germany, 1942–5. He was cleared of the charge of collaboration in 1948. He became a critic of all policies of decolonization of territories which he considered an integral part of France (e.g. Algeria).
French Empire; Algerian War of Independence |
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Weygand, Maxime." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Weygand, Maxime." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-WeygandMaxime.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Weygand, Maxime." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-WeygandMaxime.html |
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Maxime Weygand
Maxime Weygand , 1867–1965, French general, b. Belgium. A career army officer, he was (1914–23) chief of staff to Marshal Foch, and in 1920 he directed the defense of Warsaw against the Soviet army and turned the tide of the Russo-Polish War in favor of Poland. Weygand subsequently served France as high commissioner in Syria (1923–24), chief of the general staff, and commander in the Middle East (1939–40). In World War II he replaced (May, 1940) General Gamelin as supreme Allied commander, but he could not avert the fall of France. After the Franco-German armistice (June), Weygand served in the Vichy government as minister of defense, delegate general to French Africa, and governor-general of Algeria. Dismissed (1941) as delegate general and arrested (1942) as a hostage for Gen. Henri Giraud (who had gone over to the Allies), Weygand was held by the Germans until 1945. After his return to France he was accused of collaboration with Germany, but was exonerated in 1948.
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"Maxime Weygand." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Maxime Weygand." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Weygand.html "Maxime Weygand." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Weygand.html |
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Weygand, Maxime
Weygand, Maxime (1867–1965) French general. He was FOCH's chief of staff in World War I, and in 1920 was sent by the French government to aid the Poles in their ultimately successful defence against the advancing Soviet RED ARMY. In the military crisis of May 1940 Weygand was recalled to assume command of the French armies attempting to stem the German BLITZKRIEG attack. Advising capitulation, he later commanded the VICHY forces in North Africa, was dismissed at the request of the Germans, arrested by the Gestapo, and then freed by the Allies. He was tried and acquitted under the DE GAULLE regime on a charge of collaboration with the Germans.
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Cite this article
"Weygand, Maxime." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Weygand, Maxime." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-WeygandMaxime.html "Weygand, Maxime." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-WeygandMaxime.html |
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