THE COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE

LIBRARY

9)40.5337
Call Number-------U56c

v*6 67773

FL Form 887 (Rev) 22 Oct 52 USACGSC-P2-4277-15 June 62-5M

A M S R IC FOR E M N A R Y E V E CS A U L
_(

in

o a c n

4jY

IL AFFAIRS HANDBOOK
,:
1:: : . ' BI-' " -i ;r-"P i:i: :"" :-. i E

FRANCE
SECTION I: GEOGRAPHICAL AND SOCIAL BACKGROUND

ar

I-

p'P"3i

!."S y

.e

Ali,

UC1LASSIHFIf
Dissminaion
tained in restricted may to be given documents to of any material States in

TAFF
CX

f
and

rsticted
the essential to and known

matter. -,The
characteristics be in the

information
of restricted;:, the of

con-

person

service who

United

and

persons work,

undoubted will not be

loyalty

discretion to the

are or

cooperating to the par. press 18b,

Government by

but

communicated relations

public (See

except AR

authorized 28 Sep

military

public

agencies.

also

380-5,

1942.)

HEADQ ARTERS, ARMY SERVICE FORCES, 15 OCTOBER

1943

FRANCE

352-1 352-2 352-2A

15 Oct 1943 16 Dec 1943 16 May 1944

Section 1: Geographical & Social Background Section 2: Government and Administration Section 2A: German Military Govt. over Europe France

352-5 352-7A 352-7B 352-9

6 Jul 1944 26 Oct 1943 1 Sep 1944 17 Dec 1943

Section 5: Money and Banking Section 7A:' Agriculture Section 12:7B: Agriculture Statistical Data Section 9: Labor Section 1l&12: Transportation Systems with a Supplementary Note on Communications

352-11&12

13 Jul 1944

M 352-17A Supplement

4 Jan 1944 Section 17A:- Cultural Institutions: Museums, Libraries,

Supplementary Atlas on Churches, Cultural Institutions in M 352-17B M 352-17C 3 Jun 1944 24 Jun 1944 France

&

other

Section 17B: Cultural Institutions Section 17C: Cultural Institutions Central and Southern France

ARMY SERVICE FORCES MANUAL

M3521
Military Law and Enforcement

CIVIL AFFAIRS HANDBOOK

FRANCE
SECTION 1: GEOGRAPHICAL
AND SOCIAL BACKGROUND

HEADQUARTERS,

ARMY SERVICE FORCES, 15 OCTOBER

1943

UNCLASSIFIED
S*Dissemination

tained
States in

in
and

restricted may
to

documents and to
of

material

be

given
but

The Information conrestricted matters the essential characterietict of restricted any person known to be in the service of the United
of loyalty and discretion who are or cooperating to the press not be communicated

persons work,

undoubted

Government

will

to

the

public

except
AR

by

authorized military
28 Sep 1912.)

public

relations

agencies..

(See

also

par.

18b,

380-5,

NUMBERING ' SYSTEM OF ARMY SERVICE FORCES MANUALS

The main subject matter of each Army Service Forces Manual by consecutive numbering within the following categories: Ml
-

is indicated

1499
M199

4100

M200 -. 1299 1300 - M399 4100 - M499 1500 -.M599 M600 M 1699 M700 - 1799 1800 - 14899
1900 up

Basic and Advanced Training. Army Specialized Training Program and Preinduction Training Personnel and Morale Military Law and Enforcement, Organizations Supply and Transportation Fiscal Procurement and Production Administration Miscellaneous Equipment,. Materiel, Housing and Construction
* * *

HEADQUARTERS, ARMY SERVICE FORCES, Washington 25, D. C., 2 October 1943. Army Service Forces Manual 1 352-I, Civil Affairs Handbook
-

France:

Section I,.Geographical and Social Background, has been prepared under the supervision of The Provost Marshal General, and Is published for the infor-

mation

and guidance of all concerned.

ISPX

461

(21 Sept. 1943)j

By command of Lieutenant General SOMERVELL:

W. D. STYER, Major General, General Staff Corps, Chief of Staff.

OFFICIAL: J. A. ULIO, Major General, Adjutant General. DISTRIBUTION: X

DnRODU

""ON

UNCLASSIFED

Purposes of the Civil Affairs Handbook. The basic purposes of civil affairs officers are (1) to assist the Commanding General by quickly establishing those orderly conditions which will contribute most effectively to the conduct of military operations, (2) to reduce to a minimum the human suffering and the material damage resulting from a disorder and (3) to create the conditions which will make it possible for civilian agencies to function effectively. The preparation of Civil Affairs Handbooks is a part of the effort to carry out these responsibilities as efficiently and humanely as is possible. The Handbooks do not deal with plans or policies (which will depend upon changing and unpredictable developments). It should be clearly understood that they do not imply any given official program of action. They are rather ready reference source books containing the basic factual information needed for planning and policy making. Revision for Final Publication. Significant area information is needed (a) for civil affairs officers charged with policy making and planning, (b) for the use of civil affairs officers-in-training and (c) to make certain that organized data is in hand, whenever events require it. Arrangements were therefore made with cooperating agencies to provide pertinent information in accordance with a prepared outline. This section on Geographical and Social Background in France should be considered as a preliminary draft. As more detailed material becomes available it is to be incorporated into the handbook on France as a whole.

OFFICERS CRITICISMS

USING THIS MATERIAL ARE REQUESTED THE RE\STONS OR ADDITIONS

TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS

AND

ITDICATING

VHICH WOULD MvIAKE THIS

M'TRIAL
TO THE

;IORE USEFUL FOR THETR PURPOSES.

THESE CRITICISS
MILTTARY

SHOULD BE SENT
GOVERNMENT

CHIEF OF T1E SURVEY AND RESEARCH SECTION,

DIVISION, DEPARTMENT

PMGO,

2$O5

MUNITIONS BUILDING,

WASHINGTON,

D*

C.

(OR PHONE WAR

EXTEN1SION 76370.

CIVIL
T

AFFAIR S
I P A LOU

dh "ILASS ED SI HA~NDBOOK
T L H IN EBOO

TOP

CAL

O'UTLINE

1.
2. 1 .

Geo ranhical and Social Backagound

Government and Administration Legal Affairs

4-. Government Finance

5. 6. 7. Money and Banking Natural Resources Agriculture Industry and Commerce Labor Public Works and Utilities Transportation Systems

8.
9. 10.

11. 12.
13. 14.. 15. 16.

Cormmunications
Public Health and Sanitation Public Safety Education Public Welfare

This studyi on Geographical and Social Backpround in France was prepared for the Military Government Division of the Office of The Provost Marshal General by the Office of Strateic Services.

~w

Ni k~sFe
L

CONTEI
_____

Ts

UI

LLASSIFIED
00.."1

a.

The Land ""." "

" ".

." """""""""". "a"""." .........

(1). Ge.Qgraphibcal Divisions...

.............

.*.01

(a) The Paris Basin., ......"......"."...2 (b) The Aquitaine Basin."......"".....5

(c) The Armorican Peninsula.."..,,....".7

(d) The Central Massif'.0..........,,,,,9

(e) The French Pyrenees...........,.....,12

(f) Mediterranean France.."....,...13

(g) The Southeastern

Mountains:
00**0**00 0000000

Alps and Jluras.......,...."",....,.15

(h) The Rhone-Saone Depression..".000000.17 (i) Northeastern France.. (j) The Northern Plain"..........."..01
(2) Demographic Divisions.. ... ".""."""""".."2

(a) Racial and ethnical divisions........22 (b) Political and administrative

subdivisions .... ..........
"""000.23

(1) Population Statistics......".,.....*.....24 (a) Composition of population according to age, nationality and occupation.37 (2) Cultural Characteristics". ............... 39 (a) The Family and Sex.............,.39
ii. Marriage
000004 004000 000 00

.3

iv. Divorce and Separation..."....39 v. The Family.""..o*... "..4 vi. The Status of Women.,.. .... 0.040 vii. Prostitution ... "000*0000**4.0.4 (b) Church and Religion..."..........42 i. Freedom of Religion...........42 ii. Catholicism..".............",..42 (i) Church and State......".42
0

Before 1789,,,,,,,,....42
18l5-1914"0o00""60*0"43

1914-1940.,"""..,"
Since

...

43

1940,,,.,.,...,44

(ii) Church and Politics.....44 (iii) The Place of Catholicism in French (v)

Life....46
49

iii.

Processions, Pilgrimages and Rolidays.......49 Protestantism. .,,00....00.0..00.50

(iv) Number and. Resources of the Cler r.,,,..".,

CTS

Page (c) Social Stratification.".."..........51 (d) Outstanding Qualities and Habits.....52

i.. Personal Characteristics....5 ii. Drinking, Gambling, etc..,, .. ,.54
iii.

Holidays.*..

"eseo""s5

iv.

Fairs and

Festivals .........

v.* Recreation ...00*........."."...55

Sports.....e.................55 (e) Living Conditions..'".............56

vi.

(f)

ii. Housing".........."....""".5 Dietary Habits...,. .... 0....0.57 Attitude toward the Wdar .............. 58
iii.
ii. Unofficial.... Languages. ".e."...060 i* French..............00
0000000000.0..59 000 0000006

General.........:0000.0..

...

56

(g)

"59
*oo*

059

ii. Non-French Languages Spoken by

Frenchmten.............0.....00.60 (i) General ...... e....... .60

(ii) German and Germanic

Dialects......* .060
0 0000000.60

(iii)

Breton".

00000

(iv) Basque...........".....61
(v) Flemish...
(vi)
00000*

000.0.61.

Catalan.*.*****o.g.g
Italian...... 0.0.0.0.0..61

.61

(vii)

(h) Racial conflicts and discriminations.61

ii. The Jews....................61 (i.) Number.e. *............61 0

(ii) Status before 1940.....62 (iii) Status in the German
Occupied

i. Introduction.

...

e.....

.......

61

Zone.... ..

"...62

(iv) Status in the Italian

(v) Status

Occupied Zone..........-63in the Vichy

Zone.. ...
0000006000060.63

(vi) Anti-Semitic Propagan(vii )Popular

iii.
Foreigners...............e.

Reaction to
. . ". "

Anti-Semitism. " .

.64 ."66

(1) Nurber....."..e.......66 eee Seeced Rfeenes.....(ii) Status"...."..

Seaeds.Reecs..................e...............*.................67
Index................".0
............

"...".75,76

GEOGRAPHICAL n

AND SOC.IAL BACKGROUND

FRANCE

a.

The Lnd.:
(1)
Ggrahical

: Divisions.
of ,great diversity. it includes

France

is

a country

ith an average
mountains 'and any use;

length and width of plains;

wid'ely

about 500

miles,

areas of
separated

great
thriving

humidity
industrial

and others
districts,

too dry for

and

others leads an of fertile

equally
almost soil,

scattered, primitive

where life.
other

the sparse rural population In contrasst

so arid

to wide expanses that even

goats

there

are

areas

can scarcely
is high, continental

find a living.
and there are

The proportion of coast-line'to areas

abundant good

harbors.

Probably no

other

country In

is

so favorably related to the spite of this diversity,

ea.

various regions have dominant areas. They their

rather Generally

characteristics do not necessarily

individuality than of is any local

that set them apart 'as distinct lack the typical

usually peculiarities the result

FrTench
of natural

diversity;
location

'of the

population.

speaking, ever iossible.

France, unlike England, Where found

land

is'

intensely agricultural wherelow agricultural

sparsity of in
that

population and

productivity are
never districts neglect of a of

France they reflect

might as a be made is

inadequate resources,
In such rich, the

to, yield.. agriculturally

land*

which,

whole,

peasants are naturally

as or agriculture, is focused but

poor.

Manufacturing,
areas a

almost as widespread
by transport one or more

in' those there are

favored

communications, factories. In dividing that

few' towns without

small

the

country

into

geographic a

regions

it

must

be

remembered

the boundary, of

region can be

defined

sharply only (relief) or

where

there

is

an

abrupt
in

change

in

land-form gradually,

in soil.

Differences

climate appear

d.i

as do most of the other

differences between neighboring most c ses

regions.

Therefore

in

onal boundaries must be least

thought of as transitirnal zones of varying width,

definite where separating-one lowland

Out of the complexity of slight

retion from another.

geographic differentiations,

ten regions may be defined.

Three of these regions comprise

more than half of the country,

to one an-'ther, forms a

which, since

they are adjacent However, regional scheme from one

single block' of territory. typical of the

these three regions are

whole

'in that

though neighbors,. they are

as different

another as they are from the other regions of France. The ten regions may be 1. 2. listed as follows:

The Paris Basin, the heart of France. The. Aquitaine Basin, productive lowland borderinrl the- bay of Bscay. largely of consisting The Armorican Peninsula, Brittany. populated upland that The Central Massif, scantily renders a sixth of France relatively useless. The French Pyrenees, region of high mountains' and adjoining foothills. Mediterranean France, a border 'region with distinc-

3.
4. 5.

6.
7.

-tive climate.
zone.

The Southeastern Mourtains-Alps

and Juras.

:8.'
9.
10.

The Rhone-Saone Depression,

in itself

a transition

Northeastern France, mistakenly called, in America

t"Alsace

The Northern Plain, including a small but intensely active industrial development.

-Lorrainet.
The

(a) This region is

Paris Basin
shallow basin centering in the as the drainage pattern of the region

actually a

neighborhood of Paris,, indicates. the basin

Sometimes described by the French as a plain, is, .as a in

matter-of

fact,. dissected by many streams, to be found onl;y in the

with a plain,,

the American 'sense,

Beauce,

southwest of Paris,

and in
are

parts of Picardy', north of

canalized, making Paris strearms

the city.. Many* of the. streams

the chief port of theaountry, but the abundance of in the region known as tie I
er

s nationally

important

C1AI 1FIED

i1;
chiefly b cau e' .stream valleys and aszociate low divides

E.0
allparts
of the

provide converging, routes: to .anid fror.i country;.

and are

facing Woods cover many slopes/cultivated valleyt floors

also cormon on hill tops and on areas of sandy in

soil,

related -to bed-rock, which are

scattered:

about

the central parts:

of the Basin.

The I3eauce,

not only' flat .

but a. region of rich.,calcareous soil, wheat-growing area in France,

is .the most extensive

while' Picardy

divides
not only

its' to

farm-, the
coast

ing between wrheat and sugar beets,important region -but the climate
to the French econom y as a whole.

Z e'ar

the

is

damper

than elsewhere

in

the reri

on,

and

the

humid ityfavors
the

grazing,,

with *cultilvated crops and cherries

the

secondary

and

growing of fruit'-

apples This is extends th:

particularly-

common to elwost f armrs. blt of- dairying that

eastern

extension of Brittany, or used in

of. th e the making

slopes of

to the tip market

the

milk here being sent. to

of cheese. Famous

Paris
cover

vineyards

south-facing and

the Champagne' district

surrounding Lpe'rnay,

country-side the of sparklin the

over

and,
wine
of

towns.

ar e

concerned the district.

the

with the production of

named for

With the
where

eception.
is

areas
to

specialization,

Basin,

arable,

given-

a variety :of ,crops, the generally fertile. land,, mild winters

and

long' sum:ers

giving

the farms
encouraging

a wide

range

of
and

choice

and

the rich

nearby Miarkets

diversity

rewarding

produc tivity.
The region uses and produces sturdy, wrell-bred horzez the hill dis trict west of Par"is on the margin of
On

the Basin

being especially devoted to horse-raising. there are two dry,districts' in: -the
Basin where th'reis little

the other hand, part of the

southeastern

agricultore

and where

she'ep

make

the best 'venture for the sparse farming p.opulation.' dry districts,
Plateau de

These

one in

the

southern
-of

Champagne
ar.e tl

and. the. other the

extreme exarip.le

an r.rs ,

north

Dijon,

1~6*r" A $ri@:b S

UW-iA
of several dry upland districts near the eastern rim of the

Basin where limestone

a, enefit., it

is

so permeable that instead of being

only for sheep and scrub

'locates barrens fit

the terrain is,

growths.

Here

characterized

by abrupt ,cliffs,,

deeply entrenched streams, and rock-surfaced interfluves

that are, in effect, barrens. population

Both the land and the

lack

of

are .,in sharpest contrast to the more humid parts

The Basin as a whole includes nearly a third

of the Basin.

of the population of France. The Channel coast is distinguished for

its

beaches,

sumer resorts, and ports,

In peace time ferries from

the quickest route as 'well to London

Boulogne to Folkstone furnished and were utilized and passengers. ferries

by Pullman cars

as

by automobiles

At least four Basin ports Havre, the great

are terminals for port of arriving

to England.

north-coast line ships

France, was

the home port. for French

from overseas.
;Rouen,

Havre is a center

of boat-building.

upstream from Havre, is

-tthe

head of naviga-. for

tion on theSeine for ocean freighters, and the entrep t cargoes transferring to barges for Paris and other points

inland..

The chief manufacturing district stretches along

Paris; many modern

the banks of the Seine from Rouen to

industries have chosen this district as the site of their new

factories,,

notably chemicals
is located

and

electrical along

equipment:, the canals

Other northfrom

manufacturing

sporadically

east of Paris which are frequented by coal barges coming

the mining- districtof the Northern Plain.

facturing, throughout

Still other manu-

including many sugar-beet mills, is scattered this populous region, while Troyes, as an atypical' of machine-knit, goods largely

example, is, an important center because the poor, farming

of it's neighboring of the. town.

dry lands has

sent rural folk into

factories.

UMC

SS VF
,B%'~:~

Paris, however, is the. great manufacturing center of the' Basin, its products exceeding in value all 'others oi' the entire region. Here are, made jewelry :and other artic~.es

de luxe, dresses and clothing in great variety, fine furniture,, much' flour, metal go~ods of 'all kinds anid especially
automobiles (now tanks and military

vehicles),

the Renault,

and Citroen factories being the largest in

manufacturing is. strung along. the Seine,

Frsaice.

Heavy

developing 'manufac-

turing suburbs for miles 'from 'the center 'of vthe city, especTo the importance of the' manufacturing in Paris must
be added, as reasons

f or

its

size

and wealth,

the Governmental

and- banking functions; the prestige of the city and its advantages in communication for comil erc e, domestic and foreign; the

hotel business, wh~i~ch was enormous; eand the peace-time

residence here of French and fore'igi (especially N'orth and South.. Aimerican)

absentee

landlords and retired capitalists. Basin, and only a

There its no coal

w'ithin, the

trace

of

iron on its very easdtern edge, impoartant manufacturing of the domestic

as at Caen, used locally.

T1he

Thgion

isa based on the rich

market,

'the central location

and'

radiating oormmunioa-

tions, the labor pool, materials and trade,

the access to harbors and ovorseas" yaw finally the availability of 'not-dig-

and

tent 1'renoh goal.

rsgio

la~ter

power is negli ible throughout .tho-

~, but on the other hand,

at rOes

made

f easible the net-

work of'- canals on which coal and other bul17,materials are moved.

(b) The
Sbasin.

uiaine

aei.

Thin region is but half of a 0ea"

fordeoa ,
all, sided toward

Surrounded by hills on the landward -side is

facing lowland

inclining. downward on

'the oceai port.

The

lower parts of the basin are made up

of

UIICLNSStflUE
alhtiums, derived the

-those to the north of the Gbonne being calcareous,

from the limestone. upland to the west, are. largely clays and
The calcareous, hills

while'those to

43outh

gravels

carried down from the

is one in of rich the Lot 'dis-

Pyrenees. valleys

northern area which, especially

penetrating

trict,

are so permeable
of

and dry that North of

they support only scrub

the Dordogne the limestone

oak and flocks

sheep..

hills are less permeable and sheep,

are, grazed by cattle

rather

than

while cultivation occupies, the more The region is primarily devoted

France.

favorable slopes. the

and

to vineyards,
Valley floors

wines

being among

the

finest
:vines,

in

slopes are the Garonne

the

pyanted with

even the gravelly soils of of very fine quality,

itself. Here is the so

valley
being

producing wines
.named for the

iGravesi

gravel

Sauternes, favorable to

among

others,

are produced. that even

The climate

vine-growing

where

the

soil

produces

wines

of inferior quality,
the potential yield

as on the

interior'
the

edges
planting

of the
of vine-

lowland,

encourages

yards.

The resultant

wines are

converted

into center) rolling of

the

brandy both in and in its

the northern

marginal country Armagnac: produce

are hot

(Cognac

its

southern equivalent, tween

products.

The more variety

country beagricultural
n'ld, s-bring, and

stream valleys
The sumiers

a great

and long,

winters

rains make

blowing in this

from

the

Atlantic,

especially regions Sudden violent

in

one- of the better-watered

hazard in is hail. and if
the loss

of France. hail-storms

The

cle-f climatic
-

sometimes. occur
grape-harvest is

summer,

one of them comes. when the

is complete. d Fortunately

imminent,

these storms
is apt to be

are very local

affected.

in extent

only a small

area

The Landes,
south of Bordeaux, soil is

a. considerable
noti e for

coastal
agriculture

area. of

the

Basin,
of
-

-because

unfavorable

conditions.

NC:l~LW

:S'~~l:

i f

Alternating sands and irmipermeable

the surIace, in lagoons) it made into this a

clays
a waste

(which
area forest

hold water on
until from the. which

gove rnent, lunber

transformed,

greatt pine

and tar are derived to are farmed in the

local and

national

advantage.

Oysters

lagoons

open to the

sea.

Elsewhere there

south of the Garonne, is cattle raising

outside the lowland wine district, farming., the upper,

inn addition to generd the lower,

Bordeaux is polis of

and Toulouse

metroand

the -Basin, with other

towns, such as Argouleme in Toulouse.

Perigueux, as thriving power has encoureged

trading centers some manufacturing

has refineries related

;'latergoods,
prod-

flour,
to

knit
overseas

etc.while Bordeaux

ucts\
though

as well
more

as boat building
than 50 miles from

and dutfitting.
thescea,

Bordeaux, alocean

is,'an important

port,

catering in peace

tire

largely It is

to South American trade also a center for not

and other South Atlantic the wine btisiness. only unites Toulouse low divide to the
Throughout

trade.

The 'Midi 'unal, and Bordeaux,

for

barge traffic,

but extends

across the

Mediterranean Sea.
this prosperous 'region there is scattered

manufacturing,
a minor unit

in

spite

of

lack of

coal,

often pottery,

related textiles,

to

of water power.

Flourleather,

canned foods end a hunt red other- products come out of the
market inst towns of a regi.on ,that rial. The towns is agricultural rather than

thus become favorable markets for l0c-al go north to Paris.

farm-produce,

although many vegetables

(c)

The
This

rmorican PeniJ-a
.region".comprises,

Brittany and the base to the 'northi-we'st

.orner

of the breton
of Normandy.

peninsula from P ,cuitaine

Humid climate and generally infertile soil

the, raising of cattle' here,

combine to encourage taking,

with. tilled

agriculture

i:L

A ~a S

" i .,

second place.

As a result, towns are small,

dealing with

periodic cattle sales and butter markets rather than a continuous export of varied farm products. is at low ebb here; Manufacturing

there are small cheese factories in the

Normandy section, but the butter for which the whole region is famous is made on the farms. On the south coast are small fish-canning plants in some of the towns. Many of them specialize in sardines and tuna,

brought in by the fleets that sail from every coastal village, whether the village has a cannery or not. Some of these

canneries, during slack fishing seasons of Spring and early Sumnrer, also can vegetables. The fishing business is very since the conserved

important to the region and to the country,

fish enter largely into foreign trade, generally with Nantes (near the mouth of the Loire) as trade center. coast in pre-war days, at Lorient especially, On the south

fresh fish of

excellent quality was shipped by fast train to Paris; lobsters on this coast were shipped in quantity as far as London; and some of the north-shore bays are famous for their oysters. North coast fishing fleets also made annual trips to the grand Banks off North America, of cured cod. On the better lands of the peninsula's base the better cereals are grown in connection with dairying, but in the peninsula itself rye and buckwheat are the grains and local breadstuffs. The interior farmers are remote from appearing in Along to bring home heavy cargoes

urban centers and lead simple lives, still

traditional native costumes on fair and feast days.

the north coast of Brittany especially some coastal lowland areas are utilized as extensive truck gardens. The vegetables

grown here are ready for market some time ahead of those of England, and a lively cross-channel business was maintained by means of small local boats. Onions, "new" potatoes,

yeiSSSFlEO

""i^*

cabbages

and cauliflower are popular crops for this market: fit only for cider, were sent across to Devonthat cider-bottling region. the farms, cider is the

even apples,

shire when the crop was poor in In this region,

apples are grown on all and Calvados Infertile

the common drink, standard liquor. insular land,

(the local applejack)

and rocky as is

much of the pen-

small farms and many hamlets give this region While there are many poor that meet secgrow-

a relatively dense population. roads, there is

also a pattern of surfaced roads The rockiest,

the needs of the region.

most infertile

tions of upland are wooded, ing on granite, consists

but the woods of the peninsula, oaks, some of return

of small pines or

which serve as exports to England for mine props in

for the small amount of coal needed by the canneries and for bune rage. The chief towns, center), are on the coast, excepting Rennes (an administrative

related to some of the many harbors, Brest, at the tip of the

small though most of them are. peninsula, is a naval base. St.

Concarneau is Nazaire is

the leading. fishing

and fish-canning town. ing. Nantes is

devoted to ship-buildtrade, especially with peace

concerned with overseas while Cherbourg is

Africa and the east,

largely used in

times by English and German trans-Atlantic passenger boats, with fast (d) train service to Paris.

The Central Massif. This great upland, constituting a sixth of France, is

chiefly composed of crystalline and volcanic rocks. are generally

The soils

better suited to the growth of.heather and gorse The winters are cold with persistent the two coal beds over which heavy manu^eo t4 ., er edge of the Massif,

than to farm crops. snow-cover. Moreover,

facturing has been developed

contributing to the neighboring lowlands rather than to the Massif itself. The upland is
-rr

flanked by limestone foothills,

m~i

t 4

'

ft 1~L aSIFI[B
extends into the Allier and the Loire. and south in fertile soil the center of the in that part is

-10Q

as in the western hill-country of the Aquitaine Basin,.and the limestone the Massif from the north to be occupied by the valleys of A chain of volcanic mountains extending north

Massif

is

responsible for

another zone of

of the upland. abundant, especially on the western slopes, Causses" of the south

Precipitation

and the districts that are notoriously dry ("les

and southwest slopes) suffer from the permeable limestone rather than from lack of rain. The Massif surface is much broken up, great rounded heights similar to those of the Scotch Highlands being more typical than sharp mountain ranges. These heights, once wooded, are in most cases bare now; Wool, skins, and

heath-growths and thin grass furnish grazing for sheep.

o:sheep's milk cheese (Roquefort being the best, but limited in quantity) are the products that On the richer and crops are the very scant population sends to the outside world. i k_ and beef cattle find excellent grazing

volcanic slopes brown,

while here and on the wide valleys of the Allier

and Loire Rivers, wheat, sugar beets, tree fruits and even vines, on southfacing slopes, are the basis of a prosperous, though limited, agriculture with a number of market towns. grown to furnish On the floors of granitic

valleys

rye is

the local breadstuff.

On some high interior

slopes

there remain small pine forests; the middle slopes of the region's margins, often of limestone, furnish footing for chestnuts which' give a valued crop with an exportable surplus, and some low, southeastern slopes harbor mulberry ,trees Lyon. to nourish silk-w~orms related to the silk industry of

Some towns are spas, profiting several places, idley

from the

mrineral waters which are is the

found in

spaced; Vichy, nearest to Paris, but Royat is

best-known of these w%;atering places, are but two of the spas whose

also popular, and these in great quantity to be

vaters are bottled

sold all over France and even abroad.

~W@LASS%~IEB

Thiers,

at the eastern edge of the Allier valley, is thriving

an an

important producer of fine cutlery,

survivor of

early day when a trace of local iron and abundant charcoal from the heights above the and scissors town fostered the making of knives Le Puy, in a volcanic district,

that became famous.

also prospers from the modern development Old women still make fine l. ce ,by hand,

of an early activity.

but the younger

women have learned to work at lace machines whose owners trade on the fame of Le Puy lace and turn out a cheap product from many small factories. Clermont-Ferrand ic is the Akron of France, The old, lying between volcan-

and floodplain districts. in the Central Massif,

uniquely prosperous recent This

city,

has grown phenomenally in and other rubber articles.

years as the maker of tires development is

related to the decentralization of industry

and to an available labor pool previously unaffected by the lure of factories; moreover, of France. the location is central to all

The Central Massif is

a barrier to transportation, but tires in can spill d own

shunned by major communication lines, from it very readily. These factors, Etienne,

addition to the

presence of coal at St. miles away,

on the upland and not many into this

may induce still sterile

more industry to move

region of bare hills, tions.

soils and simple rural popula-

Although the Massif, tural region there are,

however poor the soil, on its very rim,

is

an agriculover

two coal-fields

which two most important French centers of heavy manufacturing are located. The manufacturing towns, which are on the plateau Etienne, each located Raw

rather than of it, in

are Le Creusot and St.

a high valley just above the

Saone-Puhone depression.

materials are brought up to these towns to be converted into -locomotives, products, cannon, tanks, tractors and other heavy steel leaving

which in

turn,

come back down to the lowland,

the Massif as a whole quite unaffected by t heir manufacture.

ti

L As
them.

lE

-12-

Economically these towns belong to the great valley below At Autun, on the margin of the Creusot field, the governshale-

ment in the post-war years had made extensive experiments in oil production, with promising results. This project will

doubtless be carried on and expanded in years to come. There are paved trunk-line highways crossing the Massif, winding for long distances across bleak upland wastes. roads are available to the more populous districts. Rail-

A barge

canal which surmounts a divide a thousand feet above sea level, connects the Saone River with another canal paralleling the Loire. The canal itself, however, rises only some 400 feet in

its own climb. (e) The French Pyrenees. The

These mountains are less populated than the Alps, single high chain is

penetrated periodically by wide, glaciated High

valleys, where farmers and small villages are located.

tributary valleys, like those in the Alps, are rare; the upper extremities of lateral valleys are used in summer for pasturage of animals-cattle, sieep and horses - which winter at the foot of the mountains; but there are few extensive upland pastures to encourage a great development of dairying. are much more numerous th n cattle, the region. and wool is Sheep

sent out of

Moreover, especially in the western, Basque,

districts, fine woolen knit goods are manufactured, while in the central mountain area felt hats of fine quality are made in other little factories,

Such agriculture as is carried on in the inner mountain valleys oznsists chiefly of rye and potatoes, but in the lower

valleys and the dissected piedmont more valuable cereals, including corn, are grown, vines cover favorable slopes and, toward the Mediterranean, vineyards become extensive. Precipitation is abundant except as :the Mediterranean is approached and snow closed the higher passes in winter.
less than

Forests cover

bsf

the mountains

the heighty rising

C A, L

-13far above tle tree line and the lower valleys

over to pastures. Hydroelectric power

being given

Torrents and waterfalls are numerous.

has been developed for the use of the important railroad at the foot of the mountains and of such cities ad Toulouse Bayonne. The Basques, a race of shepherds, easterndistrifts inhait and

the westernare strongly

most mountain valleys', Catalan.

while the

There are numerous hot mineral springs in the inner valleys, some of which locate small thermal resorts, which also used to serve as centers for winter' sports. Pau, and Biarritz, with mild with

winters and magnificent a fine beach at

mountein views,

the foot of mountains, Spain around

are a lso well known.

of the Pyrenees, the. and

Railroads enter two recently built itself.

each end

tunnels enable rail lines toc'oss A paved road parallels the

great, range

rail-line at

the foot of the mountains, and another well-engineered modern highway, well up in trade, but also ties the mo~unteins, was built for the tourist

together the people of the inner valleys.

(f)

Mediterranean

France

This region is distinctive as to both climate and relation to the sea. It is of great inportancce to France that the sea on three sides, and especially to
The Mediterranean in Ma affords and

country is open to a
seas of different

character.

communication with French colonies

North Africa

through the Suez Canal, with t~

Orient.

The Mediterranean

climate not only favors a range of agricultural products

quite different prosperous its path from those belt lying of open of the delightful rest of France, but resorts. Sea to put color also In

locates a

winter

earlier days France in tom

to the Mediterranean culture, that its was

.of the the

Latin country

the whole future of

and
W/

people.
3

a Ass If Il
The coast Marseilles
that to the

here

is

not

rich

in

harbors,

the share west of and lagoonsywhile

to

being marled by sand beaches

east is backed

so closely by mountains as

afford

no extensive hinterland.

Here

there

are little

rock-

bound harbors which,

areused faces no as a naval roadstead as to the a

lacking interior economic relationships,

Nice, across port. sea, At affords railroad. to a Sete, a with steep on a population gravel beach of 242,00, and makes shore, that is a well

base.

an open pretensions open

the eastern

lagoon, related are of

dredged harbor

to the value

coastal

On this low coast salt-works at large. Marseille posis

locally

and 911C,000) opposite of

the country profits the one

(1936 population, tion on the upland. delia, are coast

enormously great rift

from its in the

borderabove and

ing
its

The mouths
too shallow

the Rhone, and undepr

a navigable for

river

ndable

traffic,

the natural
outgrown at watersrovide at the port, from As a

harbor at
the beginning

Marseilles
of space the for

is

so small as

to have been
breakput to move in

modern era. all large the vessels

Today, that

anchorage

and a canal permits the harbor to the

river barges Rhone

cargoes ports.

navigable is

and upstream great entrepot

result, Marseilles

not only a

for

the

rest

of France,

and the contact point industries

for African related to

colonies,

but has developed numerous and to

this reion

imported raw materials

The climate of

shipping.
is characterized by mild winters

with moderate rains

l'inter presence the the most

and by warm sumimers with very little are moderated

barrier The are the. breaks Riviera,

rain.

temperatures
of a mountain interior. -where there aldng

by the warm sea and the

keeps is out least west the and cold winds from toward north, rise, and

which barrier

continental west, effective

effective the

to the

where

mountains

in many cases, directly from the water.

of these rntains whole towns of hotels

On the lower, slopes

and villas house many

IlibS~

fi

r""

a~w

thousands
during the

of

,winter.

visitors

arri

are

by no moans uninhabited

mild, the

sunny summers. on lower slopes or in re-entrants of

Along

Riviera,

the mountains,. oranges and tangerines,

vines and flowers
-

olivos and al :;ondc, market and as

-

for

the

Paris

the

basis.

for fit

the perfume factories from the mild winters. grow ,everywhere in

at Grasse

are the

crops

that

pro-

Vineyards

Qnd olive and almond

groves
but soil

the Mediterranean type of climate

encourage a vast acreage
TIassif

and drainage conditions

of

vineyards
extending

on the
up the

coastal
Rhone

plain
valley,

below the Central

while the di1T

and
of

lower

slopes

the Basses
olives

Alpes,

in

Provence,
The wine of

are particularly
the.coastal the plain north by of t

devoted to
is barge the lower the and French tank Rhone

and almonds.

"vin ordinairet car, affords that sells at a room and grow spring by

which, low price. alluvial

shipped to

Tile floodplain soil for irrigated for region is

ick gardens markets. the

and -summer vegetables summer. drouth, the

northern nevertheless

Handicapped

scene of
cular used resident overseas value

great

agricultural
of its into it products. not but

activity

because

of

the partithe region and wrinterindustry and

Money frorm outside only from the from farming rich as well tourist as

to: pour

activities, trade.

(g) This

Southeastern eounta region is a unit only as

f AAS

and Juras. relief.' The being

to physical

climate differs humid,

Alps

greatly

from north to south, 'the Juras

with cool
than

summers and cold winters, while .the

the Juras), are dry, hot in sumfer,

so uthern
and so

(higher

col d in winter
snow-f ields.

that.

there

are

great glaciers
i s ;.one of

and permanent
valley cultures,, into the .,A .-

The. whole

region

grains,

fruits,walnuts, and vines

penetrating far

mountains,

.,,but also

there ns

are

occasional ding. whht,

slopes hi"l-, , are grown

the mountains where

.ib

-airy_

IfiCI. BSSIFrl;l~
ing is active in the high valleys

I.b~

and mountain

pastures

in

the more humid districts, and large quantities superlative quality

southerly mountains

of

cheese of The more

are
are

sent
sparsely

out of ,the
populated,but

region.

increasingly

toward the north, rich

still to the

where. the high, well-watered valleys

and the calcareous -slopes
population in in the summer high Juras is end dense. are

afford of
are driven on in farms

pasturage
richer the high chaletsbut

the site
Cattle

meadows, pastures

choose-naling- goes especially year-round

and villages that tories marks

are located the very

just a

below range.

the

strip

woodland

top of

Butter and cheese facare also

(as

dot the valleys, high and low? but the valleys In the Juras

the sceneof much other manufacturing. Switzerland)

factories. of early household

in

there are watch, clcsh and

This industr~ies, is

optical

instrument

the modern development work is still

and much fine

done' in
some the small

the homes,
silk and

to be assembled
ribbon factories

in

factories.
here as outliers as

There are
of well as

industry at

Lyons,

and wood-woricngi

plants

paper mills valley

make use of the Jura

forests.

All of these units o'

industries profit from small but deperndable

water power.
In the Rhone valley immediately below Geneva,

waterthe'

power has been largely developed, power is in

south,

and,

although most of small factories torn,

power

sent

to

Lyons,

there

are numerous its ovm' small

the

narrow valley,
in the Isere

each in
valley,

Farther
has been

hydro-electric

used

in

glove factories, especially

in Grenoble.

Still

farther'south,
as in

where local manufacturing had

elsewhere, the power of

not' developed
River

Grenoble and

the Durance

is

now utilized

in an extensive
so, the 'sout

development
Alps, dry,

of chemical indef ores ted,

dustries.

Even

CiI'WS

IEII

t+;-,

,i

'i

,,

~1118

denuded

of

soil,

has

the

sparsest

populat4on. of

all

France,
to

much of Marse illes, As towns, in and the

the developed power will

inevitably go

other

mountain plants near

regions, mines.

there are springs.

hotels,

resort

bottling

(h)
The is river a

The Rhon-Sage Depression.

lower of Rhone valley, because of its but modilied although LIassif part winters, the and the middle

part drains

the Mediterranean region, adjacent parts of the Central

Southeastern Mountains
The prime graded It outlet is function route of through that route, is

it
this

is

by no means a
valley is to

of
a

either.
direct, to south. southern and

furnish from north at to

the Marseilles, second

mountains the in size

significant of this

city only

the Paris,

that
third

Lyon,
city

at

the

chief
than

confluence
twice as

in
large

the valley,
as any of

is
the

the
remaining

and more

cities

of France.
The widened upper no great fan-like extension fertility into of the or these c ression importance. uplands have is surrounded The been streani utilized

by plateaus valleys b~r five

of extending

canals

which tie

the navigable Saone respectively

to

the Loire, Coal comes

and St.

the Seine, down into

the Mare, the depression

but also
-

the I oselle, and the Rhine. not

from

only from the Creusot

of northeastern

Etieknne fields,

those
13

France,

and many of

the towns
cotton

Dijon,

sancon,
preserve

Belfort
foods,

and
and

others-manufacture

and metal

goods,

engage in

a variety

of small
of the

industries.
world. Italy

Lyon is
The business later

the chief
began by with

silk-manufacturing -city imports of raw silk from

northern

augmented supplies would The,

silk grown in longer the valley sufficient

the Rhone

valley, but the via into war

these imports

are no come up manuand

and before the Orient

from has

Marseilles.

-,i tys1 s

facturing

expanded

chemicals,

heavy metal

goods

many other articles,

and

Lyon is now

.'a

at

in ust-rtial

eter
Ir w, Z

fRtAfSSIFI[D
excellently located as
to 'coal,

water-power
Unlit because

transportaton, Saone, the

)and

domestic. and foreign markets. is is not navigable. above Lyon, also so swiftb_ in places

the of city it

Rhone which

the current that-, uplocal

below the were

stream navigation would be. difficult

reaches Abovo plain, but of canal Lyon the on the depression the abrupt flood-plain. is not escarpment

not for

confined to

to the

the floodwiest, an. the

includes

rolling or hilly lower basins of numerous from the east the some which help to widen escarpment the

tributary streams On

Saone valley.

western
of the

a very intensive vineyard area produces hed French wines. but in Grapes are also foot-

most di stinguis

grown on the lower

hills general plain of much

eastern
is

slopes,

the eastern

farming the lower

followed where

by. a: sparse not too

population.

The1
the

Saone
fruit,

wet for

cultivation) vfnile

produces

wheat,

and :other valuable

crops,

13resse,

lying

too low fpr plowing and noted for beef cattle city and fattened markets . chickens,

its

rich

meadows? produces

the -latter

i~n great quantities. for

Ci)

Northeastern France.
is
of

This
because

the region of: disputo 'between France

its important iron deposits. The

and Germany

region is, a

unit is

in

the

industrial
the

sense Lorraine

but not as the

to low

terrain,

sinc e plain

it

made up of

plateau,

western

of the Rhine tains active

of the

valley,. and

the narrow chain of This is

the Vosges rioun-

which separates man

Lorraine

the two. districts:

and-the

one of& th3 most related

in

acturin'
platcau

of France,
iron deposits

to
its

the
north-

coal

east corner which,c'onstiti!lte and iron

most of the

country's

ore.

Coal

make

the IMetz-INancy district steel for :use- in the all

one of heavy manuf actparts of of the courntry.

-

uring, including
A net-work

of . canals. links

rivers
-

the

region

the

rouse,

the Uoselle, and the Rhine

while.

ther canals tie

S19
the region to the Paris basin.

YgSf

Alsace, bqrdered on the west by the

Vosges, has valuable, potash, deposits, while salt from mines in Lorraine add to the c"emical industries of the district. Vosges mountains Because the

stop short, of the northern boundary of the region,

the coal and iron of

lcwlarnd,_ notably at

Lorraine are easily accessible to the Alsace

Strasbourg, and the whole region profits from

manufacturing and allied

trade.

In peace time there is a great move-

mentof Lorraine iron, by barge and train, to the Rubr valley and the
German heavy industries there. The northern Vosges are of sandstone (the southern part being

granite)

and at. Baccarat and elsewhere 'to the west of the mountains made,

most of the fine glass of France is

large quantities soils

while
Flax is

other towns make

growm on the poor

of high-grade pottery.

of the upland and is made into linen goods, and other textiles -

cotton and wool - add to the output

of cloth. agriculture

The region is

not noted for its

flax,

except

in the fertile

Rhine valley where, hemp, crops,

hops and tobacco are grown as industrial are very extensive on the

while truck gardens and vineyards

floodplain.

Other vineyards line the soiuth-facing slopes of the of high value.

Moselle and produce a distinctive dry,'ine The well-watered lands in France; Vosges are better

wooded than many other up-

oak, beech and pine locating paper mills as well as

lumber and wood-working plants.

Without

its

manufacturing

the region

would be rather poor, and the countryside is, in fact, sparsely settled;

but as it is, this is a thriving and nationall.y very important region. (j)
The Northern Plain.

If this, is the smallest of the regions in France, it is nevertheless one of the most important and most densely populated, the number of its people being exceeded only in the Parisian area. The coal

beds underlying.the northern edge of the region

N-~P~tr~, ha,4

provide approximately France. first loreove'r,

three-fourths

of all

the coal

mind in
in the

the fertility

of the region puts 'it

rank in agriculture. fairly crowd where Lille,

Farmers, miners, and urban' factory in the northeastern part and Boubaix have grown of

workers the into towns factory

one another

region,

Tourcoing

one' crowded metropolitan district and other industrial" such as Cembral, zone clear IlIaubeuge, and Fourmios Lens, extend the and

to Charleville. busy with mininC.

Lievin,

Be'thune,

other towns are from Lorraine,

Iron comes into the

region

Luxembourg, end even

(through
made.

the port

of Dunkirk)

from Spain,
district

am' much machinery

is

'But this manufacturing

' A iron

was first

concerned with the making of cloth.

network of can_.Js within the region,

and and

canalized

streams carr the district

coal and

others connect

to. Belgipri

.water-ways and

to the streams and canals of the Paris Basin.

miners had brought miy Poles into the region

The demand for

before the war, to

while Boli:ans

crossed the border daily, or to,

seasonally,

remain permanently as factory workers, on the farms ;left vacant towns. soil of the Picardy plaint nowhere in as men

take the place 'for work in'

and

women left

the mill

On the calcareous beets produce harvests

wheat, aixl.' sugar' .On the

exoeeded

France.

rich polders flax, hops, and vegetables are' grown.

beef-cattle stud farms, are found, the salt are s is not and dairy while respectively, farms share the

Prosperous
with

rolling farmland

sheep for wool and other sheep for meat

- on the drier

interior

hills

and

on

meadows

of the coast. cold because rains

The winters,

while cloudy,

excessively
ar& warm

of the marine

influence;
abundant; this

mers a

'and

are dependable

and

region. encouraginC to :the diverse airiculture of middle climates and fertle soil'; the

latitude

farmiers

here feed especially of

the dense urban. population ar h beet sugar, for/he rest

surplus,

of the country.

In

addition

to

the, richest

of the land, towns bring to

the fishing

fleets

of Boulgne and other coastal than are landed in

shore more fish The fish in for

na rketing

any othier part of France.

these nr'rthern waters are of the kinds suitable while fresh, and are sent by fast trains and ites to Paris and other cities.

in great quanti-

As in other countries, poverty, other social evils are

slums, child labor and the mining and larger

ti,befbund in

factory towns, but this region is one of great, productivity and wealth, of fruitful farms and solid farmers, an

important contributor to the economy of other parts of the

contry and to the self-sufficiency of all

France,

:; . .

:~ ;;

1-

(2)

Demographic Divisions. (a) Racial'and ethnical divisions. The French people are a mixture of the chief race

of Europe and of an unkhown number of prehistoric races.

Some

centuries before Christ, the Celts marched westward from the plains of Central Asia and advanced to the shores of the Atlantic. Brittany, where their language is still spoken, and Ireland became part of their domain. Before the arrival of the Celts, the

Iberians had established themselves in Gaul, but were pushed back south of the Garonne River;'their language., the Basque is still spoken in the Pyrenees. During the period between 125 and

50 B.C., Gaul became the battle-ground of Roman legions and native tribes. Roman domination was not firmly established, howWith the

ever, until Caesar's victories between 58 and 50 B.C.

conquest and pacification of Gaul, Roman political, religious, cultural, and linguistic influences established Barbarian invasions brought new racial blood, predominantly Nordic. From the

blending of all these elements, Iberian, Celtic, Roman, and Nordic, there developed the French race and the French nation. In recent years, with the rise of dictatorships, France became a refuge for many persecuted minorities, political groups, and personalities. Between 1933 and 1939 some 40,000

Jewish refugees are estimated to have entered the country from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. Another 50,000 are reported The

to have stampeded before the victorious German Army in 1940.

aggregate number of Jews at the time of the Armistice was probably about 340,000. In 1931, the total foreign population of France Of this number, 808,000 were Italians There were

numbered about 2,715,000.

who had settled principally in the south of France.

254,000 Belgians, 508,000 Poles, 351,000 Spaniards, and 72,000 Germans. Important special language groups are composed of the

large sections of the population of Alsace-Lorraine who speak German. There is also a Flemish-speaking goup in the Departments as w l as a Celtic language group

of the Nord and Pas-de-Calais

in Brittany.

(b)

Political and administrative subdivision.

France is divided for administrative purposes-into

ninety departments (including

the island of Corsica).

These in

turn are subdivided into two or more arrondissements, which correspond roughly tocounties in the United States. For the capitals

of departments and chief towns of arrondissements, see Section

b.

(1) (population

statistics).

See also Section 2 -of these

handbooks (Government and Administration), published separately.

(1) Population statistics 0!n 8 March 1936, the total population of France urns 41,910,000. divided among the dopartasuts. arroxxlissements,* This population urns

and

larger cities and towns as follows:

populton

Department
Ain

PC f-

;;.

Population
316,710

Arondiuueumnts* Belley Bourg Laon Saint-Quentin Soissons Ver-vins Lapalia.. Monluon

Cities &c
townses

Population

67,173 186,426 Oyowa 155,974 115,793 125,956 88,924 119,133 129,465 120,180 Leon

24,746 10,166 20,254 49,028 20,090

Ii

Aimne

464,647

Soissons

Allier

368,178

Nj

Moulins Grasse Antibes Cannes Menton ]Nice Privas

42, 515 22,365 25,074 20,481 25,014 49,032 21,703 241,916 7.735 15,669

Alpes-Maritlas

3a.'

513,714

Grasse Nice Largentiore Privas Tourism

164,340 349.574 60,984 96,345 115,369

Ardeiche

272,698

correspmads roughly to a county in the United States, is governed by a sub-prefect.je "An arroxisant The name- of the .arramdiuuuinut is always that of its chief town, the population of which is not given separately here- uness it is over 10,000. See notes at end) of population statistics. es The capital of th dapwarmnant is underlined.

Department

Population 288,632

Arrondi ssemnents Me uieres Rethel. Vousiers

Population 217,820 37,620 33,342 98,900 56, 234 31,597 46,201 181,765

Cities towns

&

Population 22,557 10,816 18,559

.10

t(Ardennes

Charleville Xezieres Sedan

Ariege

7155,134 / t~
239,563

Foix Saint-Girons

Foix Panniars

14,035

)(- Aube

Nogent-sur-Seine Troyes Carcassonne Limoux Narbonne lilliau Rodez Villefranche -Erstein Haguenan lMolsheim Save rue

Romilly-surSeine Sainte-Sawine Troyes Carcassonne Narbonne Millau Rodez Decaseville Haguenau Schiltigheim Selestat Strasbourg

13,977 10,406 57,961 33,441 30,047 16,437 11,407 12,365 22,P523 22,074 11,383 193,119

Aude

285,115

132,502 51,589 101,024 86,035 143,044 85,603

Aveyron

314,682

Bas-Rhin

711,830

68,892
84,710 62,632 79,554 60,436 106,161 193,119 10,346 38,390 36,354

SIelestat
Strasbourg-oampagne Strasbourg-ville

Basses-Alper

85,090

Basses-Pyrene/J

Barcelonnette Digne Forcalquier Bayonne.

Digne

7,623

413,411, -171,475 81,372 160,564

Otoron
Pau

Anglet 11,320 31,350 Bayonne 20,691 Biarritz Oloron-Ste.Mari e10,300 40,451 Pau:

~Departiuent 2Gm,
N

*fPopulatiol

Arrondissements

Population

Cities & towns

Population 45,625

Belfrt (errtoryof)
Bouhes--du-Rhone

99,497

Belfort
Aix Aries Marseille Bayesix Caen Lisieux Aurillac Mauriac Saint-Fleur Angouliae Cognac 155,696 97, 705 971,401 54,334 176,805 118,537 76,774 46, 617 67,497 197,674 .87,775 66,284 60,323 91,677 119,402 147, 619 202,749 V rzn-vi1e Saint-Amnand-MontRoad 85,946 103,767 159,003 91,499 122,293 55,637 53,325 Brive-laGaillarde Tulle Ajaccio Bastia

1,224,802

Aix-en-Provence 42,615 Aries 29,165 914,232 Marseille Caen Lisisux Aurillac 61,334 16,032 19,041

<

Calvados

3
2~ s r~L

404,901

Cautal

190,888

Charente

/3)6/

351,733

Axigouleme

Cognac

38,195 16,305 ai
i

Confolens

Charente-Inferieure

419,021

Jonzac La Rochelle Roohefort Ssi ntes Bourges

La Rochelle Rocheff'ort Royan

47,737 29,482 12,192 21,160 49,263 10,070

Cher

288,695

Cerreze

262,770

Brive Tulle Ajaoeio Bastia Corte Sartene

29,074 15,617 37,146 52,208

Caorle (Coraioa )

322,854

Department Cot d'Or

Population

Arrondi ssements Beaune Dijon Montbard

4 Dinan Guingamp. Lannion St-Brieuo

Population 81,293 179,975 73,118 120,582 120,487 87,665 203,106 76,843 125,001 157, 512 151,329 90,345 63,605 161,117 140,881 114,407 49,524 38,777 35,735

M~ies & tomns Beaune Dijon Dinan

Population 12,161 96,257 11,822 31,640 8,789 27,830 10,077 18,902 37,615

334,386

G(! tog-du-ord

531,840

St. -Brisue Gueret Niort Thuas Bergerac

Creuse Deux-Sevres Dordogne

201,844

Aubusson Gueret Niort Parthenay Bergerac Nontron Perigueux. Besan on 1ontbiiard Pontarlier Die Nyons Valence Les Andelys Bornay Nvreux

308,841

386,963

Doube

((,,-S,

304,812

llontb'eliard Pontarlier

65,022 14,217 12,840

Drone

267o281-

192,769
71,136 97,021 135,672

Eurs

j 3

15,187 Monte 1imuar Valence 36,582 Romans -sur-Isere 19,489 Evreux eiirs Vernon Chartrew Dreux 20,118 10,042 11,330 27,077 13,361

303,829

Euro-st-Loire

/1

252,690

Chartres Chateaudun: Dreux

131~,0149 62,742 58,799

Department

Population

Arrondissements

Population

"ities &

Department Friistere

~ 2 e~YZ

Population

756,793

Arrondisse'r.erits Brest Chteaulin 1iorlaix Quimper

Population 250,619 110, 607 130,311.

ities & Towns

Towns

-Population

265,256
1.29, 878

drest Douarnez Larnbezellec Morlaix Quimper

Population 79,342 10,556, 19,227 13,944 41.385

Gard

305, 299

Nimes Le Vi gan Gers 192,451 luirande Auch Condom Blaye-et-Ste. -Luce Bordeaux Langon Libourne Haute-GaronneHaute-Loire Haute-Marne

299, 550
35,871 46,4.3

A1es
N~imies Auch

93,758
13,313'

68,233 77,775 I48, 199 606,632 85,473 110,263

83,082 Begles Bordeaux Caude ran Libourne Toulouse Le Puy Chaumnont Seint-Dizier 20, 989

Gironde

850,567

258,348
22,990 19,491 213, 220 21,660 18,069 19,149

458,647 245, 271

Saint-Gaud-ens Toulouse Brioude Le Puy Chaumont Langres

375,565 56, 740 188, 531 129,217 59,254 25,415

62,795 98,4}69 114,360 82, 007

:1

77S
I ~ ~-Ye

188,471

Hautes-Alves Haute-Saone Haute-Sevoie

88,210 212, 819 259,961

Briancon GapLure Vesoul Anne cy Bonneville

Gap
Vesoul Annecy,

13, 600 11,926

23,293

St.

-Gulien-en

73:143 53,024
51,787 Thonon-les-Bains 12,183

Genevois Thononi-los -Bains

Department

Population

. rrondi $

ements-

Population

Cities

&

Towns

Havtes-Pyrn~ees

/677.

188,604

Ba nder,Tarbes Bellac Limoges-

e-Biop

84,t416 lti 104,188 62, 757 22 5, 539 45,293 46,290

nCgiorrow Lourdes Tarbes Lamnoes Saint-Junien Colmar Guebwiller Mulhouse

Population Po u at o s 21,529

34,749 95,217
10,375 49,448 10,577 96,697

metRphiin art Ha~ite-Vienne

333,589

Rochechbuart
507,551 Altkirch ,Colrn'r Guebwiller M~uhouse Ribeauville Thann Beziers Milontpellier Ille-et-Vilaine

98,339 56,714.
195,859 49,839 ;60, 510 237, 723 264,320 80,165 73,279 294,478 117, 844 147,447 51,152 47, 023 67,890

Herault

.0

502,9043

Bedari eux Montpellier Sete (Cette) Fougeres Rennes Sairnt-halo

Chat eauroux

8,512
73,305 90, 78.7 37, 324 20,432 98, 538 13,836 28,578 11,511
t

ma1,7

565,766

Fougere s Redon Rennes Saint-halo Chat eauroux La Chatre Le Blanc

Indre

245,622

Issoudun

,1nre-et-Loire
Isere

I4I

343.276

Chinon Tours Grenoble La Tour-du-JPin Viene Do1e Lons-le-Sauni er Sint-Cleude

275, 386 329,903.

101,996

Tours Grenoble Vienne

83,753 95, 906 25,436

572, 742

140,843
60,367 118, 641 41,7E9

Jura

E (3 [

220, 797

Dole 18,117 Lons-le-Saunier. 14,661 Saint-Claude 11,381

Department Landes Loire

Population 251,436 850,226

Arrondisesements Dsx Mont-de-llarsan

Uontbrison

Population 130,847 120, 789 120,513 143,339 386,374 100,689 367,048 191,691 126,138 217,727 176,400 64,508 62,846 55,073 44,542 98,994 86,737 67,030 20,115 78,365 92,255 85,885 192,024 40,074 151,218 100,130

Cities & towns .Dax Mont-de'-?arsazi Roanne Firminy Saint-Etienne Nantes Saint-Nazaire Montargis 0r1eans Blois Cahors

Population 13,058 13-,009 41,460

3 7t7

Rosune Sainit-Etienne 659,429 Chateaubriant Nantes Saint-Nazaire Montargia Orlbans Blois Vendome Cahors Figeac Gourdon Agen Marmande Vi lieneuve-sur-Lot Florac Mende

20,257 190,236
195,185 43,281 13,885 73,158 26,025 13,269

Loire-InterieureJ

Loiret

(3b.4

343,865 240,908

\/Loir-et-Cher
Lot

162,572

Lot-et-Garonne!

252, 761

Agen Marande Villeneuve

27,152 10,481 12,655

Lozere

~1Uf

=ne-sur-larne

35,530

Epearny Reims

Vitry-le-Francois

20, 406 Epernay &116,887 Roll Vitry-le9,061 Francois

Laval

7 Mayenne

251,348

j ayenne 2

Laval

28,380.

Department

p~7

Population

Arrondi suements Briey Lunhville Nancy Bar-l-Duo Coumercy Verdun sur Meuse Lorient Pontivy Vannes BoulayChateau-Saline Forbach Mete-campagne Metz-Ville Sarrebourg Sarreguemi nes Thionville-Est Thionville-Ouest Chateau-Chinon Cleinecy levers Avemnes Cambrai Douai Dunkerque Liii.

Population 152,753 86,130 337,-158 62,542 53,481 100, 911 208,700 148,197 185,351 49,234 33,214 112, 452 111, 382 83,119

Cities & towns Lonwy Luneville Bar-is-Duo Verdun Lorient Vannes

Population 14,131 23,365 121,301 16,697 19,460 65,817 24,068

Meurthe-et..Moseile l

'7

576,041

Meuse

216,934

kMorbihan

/? 6

542,248

Moselle

696,246.

Forbach Metz Sarregueuies Thionville

12,167 83,119 16,001 18,934

59,277
76,874 72,615 98,079 50,421 53,866 145, 386 213,098 166,509 196,718 263,891 885,087

Nievre

X~3.9

249,673

levers Mlaubeuge Camubrai Douail Dunkerque 1imentieres Lille

33,699 23,622

lord

2,022,167

29,655 ."

Valenciennes

296,864

42,02"' 31,017 24,049 200,575 107,105 Tourcoing 78,393 Wattrelos 31,084 Bruay-en-&rtois 30,125 26,478_ Denain Valenciennes 42,564,

Department Oja,

Population

Arrondisasements Beauvais Compiegne Sonlis Alenjon Argentan Arras Bethune

Population 131,896. 128,914 141,759 160, 653 108,878. 241,698 519,434 222,813 85,622 109,90 204,549. 84,162 107,6.69 109,423 46,842 150,151 36,-254 396,429 131,950

Cities & towns Beauvais 0ompie ne Creil Fleon

Population 18,869 18,885 10,889 14,830 10,595 31,488 20,07332, 730 25,127 52,371. 18,373

(7?'!
13,?:
hV

402, 569

Orne Pas-do-Calais I{

269,331

1,179,467

Arras
Lens

Boulogne

Nontrouil
Saint-iOer

Lievin Boulogne-surNor Saint-Over

Puy-de-Dome

486,103

Cl. rmont-F-errand Issoire Riosa Thoers Carot Porpignan Prades LyonVillefrancho-surSaone

Clermon~'errand 101,128 Rion Thiers 16,181 72,207 Lyon Villefrancheaur-Saone Villourbanno Autun
Lo Crousot

Pyreneos-Orientale

233,347

Rhone

1,028,379

570,622 18,871 81,322 14,863 9

26,902 19,324 10,101 84,525

Saono-etoire(7'

525,676

Autun Ch~.on-sur-Saone
Charolles Macon

105,165 203,565

29,417

Cha1on:a Saao t None *au- esNine. fMacon

,,

-111,581 105,365

'

arth.

/4/
~

v'~~

388,519

LaFlecho Mamners Le Mans

76,314
77,815 234,390

La F1eche Le )Jana

Department

Population.

Arrond is ements

-i ,Populati

Ca ies &
town
s

PopuJati on

Satvoie

239,010

Albertville Chaimhery

125,

67, 623 65245, 735

Aix-les-B3ains.

28,073 12,859

S+. -5Tea~n-der,,,,%ri enne

Q.jSeine

?~

4,962,967

Par'i

(20 arron-

2,829,746

dissenients)

Paris Asieres Aubervi1liers Bagnolet Boi s--Colombes Boulo.*neBillancourt

Clichy

2,829,746 71, 831 55,871; 28,052 26,542 97,379

Sairt-Denis

1,213,293

56.,47561,94 58,638 42,938

46,2065

Colornbes .Aourbevoie Dranc; uennevi111iers

Nanterre' Pantin

29, 369

Leva1165is-Perret 65, 18.6

8 Net??lJ.y-sur-Seine5 6 ,9.3

37,716
3,:829 75,401 51,106 30, 078 28, 88 3 28,476

?uteaux Saint-Deni s Saint-Quen Suresnes321 Sceaux

919,928

Alfortvlile Ghampigy-sur)Mane Cho:; s;;'-e -Roi

Department

PoptJ.tion

Arrondissernents

Popt Th+, on

Cities & Towns

Population

Seine

(cotld)

Sceaux

(cant' d)

Clarnart Fontenay-sous
-Bois

32,427
-

31,546 44, 091 44,6859 3/.,-384 28,438 71,803. 33, ?60 56, 740 27,540 4$,967

Is sy-lesMoulineaux. =TVry1-sur-Seine Maisons- fort. Milakof f Montreuil montrouget. -Maur-desFoeses

I 1*

Vil3e juif
1

tincenrxes

v tr y-sur-S eine

46,945

Department

Population

Arrondissements

Population

Citie.s & towns Meaux Fontainebleau Melon

Population

vj

Seine-et-Marne

/7 ~7
to,.

409,311

Meauix Melun Provins

161,633 174,759 72,919 287,111

.14,429
17,724 17,429

) Sen-tOs

1,413,472

Corbeil

Pontoise Rambouillet Versailles

413,085 103,085 609,665

Corbeil 11,334 (1931) Le Blanc-Mesnil 21,660 Villeneuve-St.Georges 21,237 Pontoise 12,183 Mantes-Gaesioourtl3,978 Etampes 10,610 Argenteuil 59,314 Maisons-Lafitte 13,040 Meudon 20, 749 Ruel l-Malmai son 26 ,796 St.-Cloud 16,597 St.-Germain-

~en-Laye

22,539

Sevres 15,501 Versailles 73,839 Aulnay-sous-Bois 31,763

Seine-Inferieure

37

9c

915,628

Dieppe Le Havre Rogen.

196,610 324,443 394,575

Dieppe Le Bavre Rouen Rouen

25:. 560 164,083 122, 832 26,657 19,345 93,773

So-.os

uy.j3

467,479

Abbeville Amiens Montdidier PAronme,

120,379 223,632 46,106 77,362

Abbeville Amiens

Department

-2~~Pultion

Arrondissenents

Population

Cities & town~s Albi Carn'aux Ca tres Mazainet } cntnuha n

Popul~ation

Tarn

33

.297,871

A lbi

144,104

30,293
17,783

Castres
T'rn-et-G9 ronne Var

153, 767
64,418 101:,211 109,405.
21C9,257

29,133 15,447 32,025

12, ?.30

164,629

Castelsarrasin
TW onP' uban

l 7)~

398,662

Dre guignan
Toulon

Dra guignan Hytres

La Seyne-st'r-

26,378
27,073
150, 310

Mer
Toulion Vaucluse

(77
LL.

245,508

Aut
Avignon

Ce rpentras
$. j -Vende

54,373. 132, 740 58,395

115,939 146,066

4:vigon

59,172
1,,732

Carpentras

3x9,211

Fortenay-le-Comte

La.Roche-sur-Yon Les -Sables-d' Olonne

-127,206 91,091
97,547 118, 162 221,074 57,132 98, 720 143,957

La Roche-sur-Yonm 16,073 Les Sables d'Olonne

14,536
Vienne

1(3

306,280

Ch'tei lerauat M~ontmoril1on

Ch t ellerat1t Poitiers Epinal Remiremon t Sa'irnt-Die Auxerre Sens

19, 369

Poitiers

44,235
27,708 10,462 20 ,315

1.1

Vos ges

376,926

Epi4 nal Neufchateau

Si t-Dies
Yorn e

.3

7,6

Avxerre

24, 252
17,783

Avallon
S ens

55, 576
72,152

It~~

0fYI

:;tzg Co :position ofLn.ppulion accord r..

nationb1ity,

and occ.itation.
In 1931 the total population
--

41,834,923

--

fell roughly

into the following age groups: 2 0-1 Year: 1-19 Years: 20-39~ Years: 40- 9"1ears: 60-"9 Years: over 'J0: undeclared: 11,79,6,000 . 12913,000'

734,000

9,9:93.,00.

5,303,000 434,000 66,000

The population of France in foreigners, whose

1931 included 2,714,677

countries of origin were:

3
48 ,663

Gerrmany:, Austria: Belgium: Czechoslovakia Deno".rk:

71,729

Portugal: Roumnania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Russia; Spain: Switzerland: Turkey: United States: Other American republics:

9,780
253,694 :47 , 401 2,933

51,802 71,928

351,864 918,47 5
36,19.

Great Britain: 49,

143

Greece:
Hiolland: Hungary: Italy:
Luxemburg:

19123

9,879 1,824
808 ,038

16,146 14,146

21,286
1,781

Norway: Poland:

French subjects and proteges : 101,969 African: 3 ,008 Other

507,811
were also 361,231 naturalized French citizens of

There
residents.4

approximately

the

same countries. of origin as t~he foreign

There ;:ere 21,611 ,835 gainfully e- ployed in 1931, memrbers of the armed forces.
I griculture., fo-restry, There were civided

including

as followvs:

f shing.....

....

:,704,000
.x,464,000

Industry and transportation Conmnerce......... .......

...... 2,795,000

Liberal professions...............65f;,000 Army......................4101000;

Domestic service.................794,000 For composition of .the population according to religion, see section b. (2)
(h.

Church and Rei ion.

Re sulitsst~tistioues du _Recensemlent de P'

Direction dela Statisticue Generale et de la Documentation, nefcu

Direct4 .on de la 5tatistique Generale et de la Documnentation./ Res,:- tat c statisticues du Recensenent de la Po ulation,effectue
rs1931.

Ibid. ,

Tome 1~ lei

partie.

Ibid. , Tome 1,, 3.

partie.

-39-

(2)

Cultur~l t1Characteristics.

(aj

ndc The Family?. 1. alority..

Sex. Both men and worsen twenty-first in France

reach their. majority on their

birthday.

ii.
is optiona~l in

i1arriage..
but a civil

religicus ~r triage, ceremony

ceremony is service. mandatory Both the While

France,

and rust occur before the religious bride and the groom must consent is

to the marriage.

th&.union of close relatives

tests for
are required

forbidden,

no physical age If'

for

marriage.

The minimum legal for

marriage

is

eighteen or the

for men,* fifteen

women.

either the bride he must marriage. secure

groori is

under. twenty-one,

she or, the

the consent

of parents or guardian for

apply if either

Somewhat

similer regulations

party is. between twenty-one and twenty-five.

ceremony and it is public; it

The civil

must be attended by two witnesses;

must be

performed by a

governmnent official,

usually

the local

mayor. In France, as in not most continental

countries, sentimental policy,

marriage institution.

is

regarded as; an excclus'ively

Questions of economics,

family,

and social prestige are also involved, though ,not extent that they once were. in. France Uhile the

to 'the overwhelming birth rate

has dropped the popularity iii.

steadily of

auring the last

century,

imarrirge has actually risen. 1. marriage

Annulment. incest,

may be annulled
or the

in

the

event of bigamy, of

physical- irimaturity, performing the

legal. incompetence iv.

the official

ceremony.

Divorce

and Separation..

Under the

Republic and French Civil

Code four, grounds for divorce:

(1)

adultery;

(2) (3)

personal

cruelty,

violence,

or grave

indignities;

conviction of a. crime (4) legal

involving imprison-

ment' and moral degradation,

separation for three same reasons (with

years.

Separations. could be arranged: for-the

(4)).

the exception of

The divorce rate in France is low, very low compared to that in ' the United S1tates. This is

partly due to the Catholic Church's hostility to divorce , and it has been a cause of endless self-congratulation on the part

of tie French. rates still further

Vichy has attempted to lower the divorce by lengthening the 'amount of time re-

quired for the comrletion of divorce proceedings and by instituting various minor changes in the regulations. v. The Family. In France the significance

of the family as an institution has gradually been receding,

but it

has remained far more important there than it is

Family ties are very close in place; France; extreme

in

the

United States. home is

the

considered a

sacred. and private

deference to one's parents is

cornmonplace;

and,

finally,

the

family is a very important economic unit. The family has come in for a great deal

of attention from the Vichy regime.

The stricter divorce

laws,

the. bounties for the production of children.,

large granted to rations fathers

the
families, the

tisprooortionately preferences

granted
of large

to large families all

in

filling

jobs and in serving on municipal councils --

these

regulations are designed to preserve the family and increase. the birth rate.

\vi.

The Status

of

Women.

A cloistered

girl-

hood, with strict chaperonage is no longer co'monplace in

France. Yet the legal '20's position of 'women remains inferior.

During the

and 130's theChamber of Deputies and

leading statesmen repeatedly sahctionedthe extension of

suffrage refused

to its

women, approval.

but

the'"

conservative Senate the wife. has a legal

cnsistently right

While

to

one-half her husband's

incore, .shehas no

parental

authority

before

the

law, nor can she alienate , property, even her own, consent of her husband. Actually, French women have' never to curtail their
they they

without the

allowed their

somewhat difficult position

privileges a militant in other spheres.

traditional
organized

While
rmovement,

have never have contentedly

"suffragette"'

commanded and enjoyed

enormous respect and wide

influence.

The' mother superior

a degree

is

the real position

social

focus of family life, of the father.

surpassing regard intellectual

despite

the

legal:
of

Married women enjoy

even that of

independence Frenchmen

American

women.

attainment

on the part of women as normal and desirable. years of the Repuhlic,

.adult female

In the last the

8,000,000 women (or more than half

gainfully employed. In

population) were

short,

women

Have

made

a very
Vichy,

large
like

contribution
fascist

to French civilization.
regimes, has tried

other

to restrict women to childbearing.

their that in opportunities the for employment.

It has
It is

sharply curtailed
not the likely, status of however,

new policy has

seriously altered

vomen

France. vii. Prostitution. 'but Prostitution'is not illegal

in

itself

in

France,

it

may
This

be regulated in is a matter and the

the interests of authorities, other to register

health (the

and public order. Prefect of

for. local in the

Police in Paris, Prostitutes

mayor

towns and cities).

with.. the

are-usually required
frequent'

aeuthoritie sand to undergo :usually forbidden and they are Many

medical 'inspections.

They

are

to

solicit
to

on the: streets
'resort

or

in

public to to

places,

f orced

professionally however, ddition are reputed

authorized ignore or

houses. evade these

prostitutes, In

regulations.

prostitutes

wbo are eighteon or younger may pe, called

into

-42-

juvenile court and committed to an institution until they reach the age of twenty-one.
(b) Church and Religion.

i.

Freedom of Religion.

From the time of

the French Revolution at the end of the eighteenth century to the fall of France in 1940, Frenchmen enjoyed complete freedom to worship according to the dictates of the individual conscience. The anti-clerical legislation enacted around the

turn of the present century did not impair this fundamental liberty; it simply changed tne status of organized religion from public to private. Since 1940, however, religious liberty

has been curtailed, notably in the case of the Jews.

ii. Catholicism. "

(i)

Church and State. Before_812 until the French

Revolution the Roman Catholic Church occupied a highly privileged position in France. The Church had staunchly supported the the

monarchy ever since the beginning of the Middle Ages; kings of France, in return, granted the clergy enormous prerogatives.

The clergy constituted the first of the three

estates of the realm, possessed great lands and vast wealth, and exercised a wirtual monopoly of education and charity. 1789-1815. Withthe outbreak of

revolution in 1789, the Church suffered a serious setback. The clergy was no longer recognized as the First Estate; religious orders (of monks and nuns) were abolished; Church

and State were completely separated, with Church property and control over education transferred outright to the state; clergymen who refused to accept the new regime were frequently persecuted. Napoleon adopted a more moderate policy. In 1801

he concluded a concordat with the papacy which redefined the relations of Church and State. The former abandoned its claims

.. A3 -

to the ecclesiastical property which the and acknowledged the right bishops. to the

state had appropriated state to nominate

of the head of the

In return, the State agreed to

extend financial support

clergy and officially

recognized Catholicism as the faith

of the great

maority of Frenchmen.
18.12114 For the next seventy-five

years inttiated 6!

the

Church flourished,

as

the policy of cooperation to develop. hox*ever, a

by Napoleon continued in the

8

With the emergencY

new crisis wide arose. influence

the Third Republic

1 70's

The new republic

re gime

objected

vigourously to the political

of the Church and to the reactionary of the clergy. 1880; It dissolved the

and socials views (Jesuits) in

Society of Jesus

made primary education free, required civil

compulsory, and non-religious divorce (1884)&.

(1882);

marriage and legalized

forbade the activities of religious orders not state and completely prohibited

licensed by the. (the

all teaching by the clergy

Associations Act of 1901),;

and broke diplomatic relations, with

the Vatican (1904).

The Separation Act point of anti-clericalism. and On the one the free Wa nd, (1905) was the it guaranteed high

freedom of conscience On the otherhand, it

exercipe

of public worship.

suspended

the Concordat

of 1801 and

separated the Church and State. salaries

not

The. State no longer paid the organizations

of the clergy.

All property of religious was transferred

actually

used for P~ship

to public establish-

ments.

Church edifices

were to be owned by the state and managed of worship (associations culturelles). The

by lay associations last provision, accepted in

particular,

created 1924.

friction.

It

was not

by the Church until

1914-1940.
rapidly adjusted itself steadily

After. World War

the Church

to. the new dispensation. improved.

Relations between with the

Church and State

Diplomatic relations

Vatican were resumed with impunity

in 1921.

Indeed, religious orders, ignoring Act of 1901, partially resumed

the Associations

-44their activities.

-. 1939, educational By.

policy was the only,

question on which Church and State had not reached a tacit

understanding.

The Church, while allowed to maintain

its

own. schools, resented in them.

the law barring the clergy from teaching

Since 1940.

At first

Vichy missed the Church. supervision,

no opportunity of showing its deference toward It sanctioned teaching by Clergymen under state

officially restored the Carthusian order of monks, and placed public and religious schools on an equal footing by extending financial assistance to the latter. clerical clerical, in the Yet Vichy's policy has character. real powers Whereas Marshal in the govern-

not been fundamentally Petain ment, is confirmed

like Darlar and Laval, have taken the Church to task time its failure to support They have the "National Catholic Revolution" papers,

and again for

with due enthusiasm. like Esprit

suspended

and Temps Nouveaux, which attempted

to follow

an independent course. (ii) Church and Politics. The Church ha,

traditionally played a large role in French political life 9, The changing attitudes of the Church issues by the during the past century and a in respect to political half are explained in part

fact that two divergent points of view developed within One group, essentially

the clergy after the Revolution.

reactionary in character, has refused to accept. the Revolution, It wishes to restore Church enjoyed before the prerogatives which the king and the 1789, The other group, ranging in outlook,

from conservative to liberal has accepted the permanence of the chnges brought by the Revolution. Both groups took a lively pert in the political controversies of the nineteenth century.

Matters

came to a head after

the establishment of the Third Republic.

Many clergymen and laymen were irrecocilably opposed to the new regime.. Their anirnosity- increased as a result of the

-45passage of the first

. .. In

anti-clerical laws in the 1 8 80's.

the early 90's, however, under the auspices of Pope Leo XIII, progressive clergynen came to the fore and urged the faithful to rally to the Republic. The Ralliement (as this movement

was termed) was cut short by the Dreyfus case, which convulsed France at the turn of the present century. Catholics, die-hard monarchists, Reactionary and Militarists

anti-Semites,

all ranged themselves against the unfortunate Jew, Captain Dreyfus, unjustly accused of transmitting secret military information to Germany. Eventually, Dreyfus was exonerated The extreme clerical faction

and his oppenents discredited.

was powerless to prevent the passage of the Acts of Association and Separation. Meanwhile, modern French political They were bound to The parties

parties were in the process of formation.

take a stand on the question of Church and state.

of the Left were resolutely anti-clerical; the parties of the Right preached the restitution of clerical privilege, During World War I much of the bitterness engendered by the anti-clerical legislation disappeared. While a minority of reactionary clergymen and laymen supported the parties and pressure groups of the extreme Right, the majority of the clergy accepted the existence of the anticlerical republic, as an accomplished fact. Since militant

anti-clericalism was no longer an essential tenet for a leftist party, small progressive Catholic parties appeared. By and large, however, the: Church withdrew from politics during the '20's and '30's and strengthened its tie with the mass of Frenchmen. Accordingly, the Church It organized

supported the activities of Catholic labor unions. a series of youth movements,

many of them highly successful.

It undertook to develop the spiritual life of proletarian groups,

-46-

especially in the Paris suburbs. After the fall of France the Church regained the political limelight. Marshal Petain has done

everything cnnceivable but stand on his head to attract the Church to the "National Revolution." In the early days of

Vichy many French prelates joined Vatican spoke smen in publicpronourcements'of their loyalty: to the new regime. A reactionary

faction of the French clergy still welcomes Vichy as the next best thing. to a revival of the good old days existing before 179. In addition, many Catholic dignitaries pay a qualified

allegiance to Petain and-Vichy as the only regime capable of protecting the country from anarchy. Yet many prelates have

sharply condemned some of Vichy's policies, notably the persecution of the Jews and the conscription of labor for Germany. Among them are: Cardinal Gerlier, the Archbishop

of Lyon and the fvremost prelate in the Vichy Zone; Cardinal Lienart, the Bshop of Lille and

champion of labor groups;

Archbishop Saliege of Toulouse; and the Bishops of Miontauban and Marseille. The lower clergy, by and large, have been They identify the

militant.y patriotic from the start.

future of the Church in France with the liberation of the country, movement, Consequently, they have encouraged the resistance

if

they have not actuallyparticipp ted in it. (iii) The Place o' Catholjgxi n French

Life.

In 1938,

it

was

estimated, 869' of the French population The number of

(36 out of 42 million) were nominally Catholic. practising Catholics~-- that is,

those attending mass and con, however, is much smaller,

fession. more or less regularly --

perhaps 25or 30% of the population. The proportion of practising Catholics varies sharply from class to class and from region to region. It is highest among aristocrats, the wealthy, and the moderately

well-to-do .

It is much lower

--

about 1/3

--

in

the lower

middle class (Detite

bourgeoisie).

Here, while, a small

minority is actively anti-clerical, the rmajority is indifferent to religious issues. At the bottom of the social scale, the

industrial proletariat represents the least Catholic element

in the French.. population.
Only a small minority of workers

in big factories is actively Catholic.

The ratio is considerAs for the

ably higher among employees of "little business."

rural population, much depends upon local tradition. The most Catholic regiois of France, about 35% of the total area, include: the aristocratic and

middle-class quarters of Paris (1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 10th, 16th, and 17th arrondissements); the

8th, 9th,.
north

extreme

(departments of Nord, Pas-de-Calais, and Sonme); Normandy (departments of Seine-Inferieure,: Eure, Calvados, Orne, and
Manche); Brittany (departments of Ille-et-Villaine, Cotes-du-

Nord, Finistere, Morgihafi

and Loire-Inferieure); four other

western departments (Mayenne, Maine-et-LoireGironde, end Vendee); the departments bordering upon Spain (Basses-Pyrenees, Pyrenees-Orientales) ; Savoy (departments Ariege, and.

of Savoie and Hiaute-

Savoie); four departments in the mountainous central south (Haute-Loire, Aveyron, Lozere and Cantal); and Alsace-Lorraine (departments of Vosges, Moselle, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Haut-Rhin, and Bas-Rhin). Anti-clericalism is strongest in

southern France (departments of Charente, Charente-Maritime, Creuse, Correze, Aude and Drome). It is also typical of Saone-et-Loire,

scattered departments elsewhere in, France (Yonne,

Aube, Indre-et-Loire); of the industrial suburbs of Paris; and of the working class quarters of the capital itself (11th, 12th, 13th, 19th and 20th arrondissements) The rest of :France (about half the country) is neither conspicuouly pious clerical. nor notably anti-

In general, Catholicism is more deeply rooted in the

-48country districts than in. the cities and towns, though there

are numerous. exceptions,.

Women constitute a large proportion

throughout France.

of the practising Catholics

The Catholic tradition in France is so strong, .however, that a pr fnund influence upon practising Catholics, baptised, the married, the customs of the Church still exert the routine of living.

Most

non-

even convinced anti-clericals, are inaccordance with the ritual

'of

and buried

church.

And even Communist municipal governments under

the Republic were known to co-operate willingly with the local clergy in public welfare activities. prestige of the Church .as a social,

All this reflects the

rather than as a religious part

institution.

It shows that Catholicism is ar

intrinsic

of French civilization.

And it explains the adage

that French-

men are good Catholics but bad Christians. At the same time, tradition is almost equally fundamental.. the anti-clerical Frenchmen hate not

forgotten that French thinkers took the lead in the attack upon the Church which characterized the enlightenment of the

eighteenth century.
Franme vigourously Church. to influence

MPany of the most devout Catholics in oppose all political attempts on the part of the

developments.

The local in the

cure

(priest) must be careful not to interfere ment or in the public schools.

local govern-

Anti-clericalism, however, longer a major issue, in 1905 satisfied

is no

The divorce between Church and State demands of the anti-clericals and put of the and the

.the

an end to criticisms

.directed

against,

the privileges the prestige

Church.' ~Since World' War I,

therefore,

influence'of the Church have steadily risen.

thrown back upon

The Church,

its, ovwn resurces, hr s made out very well, indeed.

-49-

The popularity of the Catholic youth and scout movements, the small but significant Catholicunion movement (the Confederation Francaise des Travailleurs Chretiens), the spectacularly successful results achieved by able young priests among the radically anti-clerical population of the Paris suberbs -attest all these

to the renewed vigor of French Catholicism. Furthermore,

since the fall of France, there have been a marked increase in church attendance and a notable revival of interest in religion. (iv) Number and Resources of the Clergy.

Seventeen brchbishops, seventy bishops, and twenty-six auxiliary and titulary bishops administer the affairs of the Church in France. (See map for archbishoprics in France.) There are

about 30,000 priests and, in addition, a considerable but indeterminable number of monks and nuns. Since the French Revolution, the Church has controlled very little property, and since the turn of the century its resources have been further depleted by the cessation of state payment of religious salaries. Even so,

though no statistics are available, it is clear that the Church still has adequate financial resources. (v) Processions, Pilgrimages, and Holidays.

Religious processions take place most frequently in the most devout sections of France. The dates on which they occur are

largely a matter of local tradition, although it is often the custom to celebrate major religious holidays, like Palm Sunday, Assumption, or Pentecost, by a procession. a procession must be secured from the mayor. The three principal shrines attracting organized pilgrimages are: Lourdes (department of HautesPyrenees); Lisieux (department of Calvados); and La Salette (department of Isere). Permission to hold

The chief religious holidays, aside from Sundays, are: Ascension(40 days after Easter); November); and

Assumption (15 August); All Saint's Day (1 Christmas.

Various saints' days sometimes constitute local In general, French and American Catholics

religious holidays.

celebrate religious holidays in much the same fashion.

iii.

Protestantism.

Before the war there

were about one million Protestants in France, or 2j- of the total population. These;included 600,000 Calvinists, 350,000

Lutherans, and tiny minorities of Baptists, Methodists, and other denominations. Most French Calvinists belong either to the orthodox, fundamentalists Union of Evangelical Reformed Churches (Union des Eglises Reformees Evangeliques) or to the somewhat smaller, liberal, modernist Union of Reformed Churches (Union des Eglises Reformees en France). Both these

churches are organized on the basis of parishes and synods and maintain headquarters at Paris. Geographically, French

Calvinists are concentrated in the traditional Hugenot regions of southern France, notably in the departments of Ardeche, Aveyron, Charente-Maritime, Dordogne, Gard, Heralut, Lot, Tarn,

and Tarn-et-Garonne. The center of French Lutheranism is Alsace, now annexed to Germany. They unannexed eastern

departments of Haute-Saone a nd Doubs also contain important Lutheran minorities. Like' theCalvinists, the Lutherans are

divided into orthodox and liberal factions. Orthodox Protestants are recruited chiefly from business classes, and constitute one of the most conservative elements in France. a large following of intellectuals. The liberal group has In recent years the

political influence of French Protestantism has been negligible, although many individual Protestants have had important

.,

liiMAffdgR

-57.-

careers in politics.

Frotestant

ongregations have suffered Before the

seriously as a result of religious indifference.

war, it was estimated, only 7 or 8% of those who were nominally Protestant regularly attended services. chiefly women. Since 1940 French Protestants have taken a much greater interest in church attendance. In These were

politics, their sympathies are divided but appear to be veering more and more toward the Allies and resistance. Conservative middle-class Protestants welcomed the Petain regime at first; they are now reversing their position. Marc Boegner, the head of the Protestant Federation (an organization uniting all Protestants for cultural and political purposes) was an early supporter of Vichy but has protested outspokenly against the persecution of the Jews. iv. Judaism. TheJewish problem in France is Pastor

primarily a racial, not a religious question (See below). (c) Social stratification. France is a nation of

small farmers and industrial workers, with the farmers swinging more weight -economically and socially -than the workers(

The "peasant" --

by which is to be understood a small farmer

somewhat higher up the social ladder than his United States equivalent -is still the backbone of French society. He is Most

fundamentally conservative, socially and politically.

Frenchmen come from farm families and are likely to own a little land in their "pays" (i.e, the region in which they or their families were born) to which, if they are city workers, they try to return at least once a year. The Vichy govern-

ment's back-to-the-land policy, though not very successful4 has tended to increase the numerical preponderance of this basic class. It is safe to say that the French as a people
l^^^uflS5E

have less in

class-consciousness than
--

any other.

France' is

still

the country

which everyone

from the Count and Countess in the Faubourg St.-Germain is addressed as "monsieur" or "madam.

to a street-cleaner or a concierge --

The old aristocracy which has survived, from the Monarchy and the inpire has -in some cities at least -still a certain social importance, This

of which, however, its member's are far more conscious than anyone else. class carries no

political or social weight except insofar as it has interbourgeoisie." is The new aristocracy, that of cotton, silk, wine, but a

married with the wealthy "grande developing in

the 19th and 20th centuries, banking. The "ruling

shipping, munitions, financial oligarchy

class"

is not a social

The following chart representa an estimate of the social groups into

which the French are divided, case: giving a very approximate figure in each

Wealthy classes:
Intellectual classes,

500,000 (including the old aristocracy,

(not necessarily any longer 1,500,000 (wealthy)

professionsx
Middle-class and wellto-do farmers: Craftsmen and individual workers: Mass of industrial workers: Farming population, fishermen, etc.:

5,000,000

4,000,000

15,000,000

15,000,000

(d)

Outstanding
i.

Qualities and Habits.

Personal Characteristics., While it is impossible to of 40,000,000

generalize

accurately about the personal characteristics

individuals, the French do have certain national traits which have not
changed in essentials since 1940. For one thing, they are intensely proud

of their

'country.

They display a nystical

devotion

toward the rich

French

soil which normally provides them, they feel, with

things of' life.

an

abundance of good
make it a ritual to

City dwellers in

France,

accordingly;

pass at least

aIart

of the summer in

the country if

possible. Traditions

Similarly,

the French have an enormous respect for tradition. .Hence,

seem to them the essence of French civilization.

their concern for

the maintenance of the purity of the language and for the preservation
of works of art and architectural monuments.. At the same time Frenchmen, are achieve-

extremely conscious of French civilization, extremely proud of its ments,

and entirely convinced of its

Yet the French are also rioted for

superiority over all others.

their balance and moderation. In-

ellectual curiosity self-consciousness. for logical istics

offsets

traditijonalism, reflects

individualism

counters national and the capacity character-

This balance

the intelligence

reasoning which have long been considered particular

of the French.

On the other hand, French life is not all cold clplanning. The strength and the depth of family

culation and deliberate affection testify; to that.

What the French want out of life enough money to permit them a little
food, little and the family life interest in But

is

typical of their moderation

--

leisure to enjoy the conversation,

ighly. or in Genesally,

tkB

which they prize so themselves socially

they take,

advancing

making considerable Hence, The

sums of money. the famous thrift

they are desperately

afraid of becoming poor. of the French.

and the

notorious niggardliness

qualities may in some individuals lead to avarice and to hoarding, but they

usually represent
to provide some sort

merely the determination of the French.husband and rather

of nest egg for his wife and children. are high in France. The

Standards of honesty, with some exceptions,

French do not consider dishonest the practice of making short change which so
infuriates the tourist. Yet, in almost every other respect,. the average .Corruption on the part of, public officials e t 'early inexcusable.

Frenchman is scrupulously honest.

she fiercely resents and considers

Witness the

enormous public scandals caused by the Panama Canal

swindle (in

the 1880' s)

and by the Stavisky affair (in ii. Drinking.

beverage,

1934). Almost all Frenchmen drink.

like brandy and

Gambling.

etc.

Wine is aperitifs, drinkers. in

the national

and. beer and stronger drinks,

are also popular

The French, however, are moderate and temperate

Alcoholism ard drunkenness are not nearly so common gas they are and the United States.
-,

great Britain

As regards the use of tobacco,

those small. of Americans. The proportion

French habits do not differ markedly from

of dope addicts in
-

France is

notably

On the other hand, gambling

-

at

racetracks

and casinos and in is in the United

the national lottery States.

is

more popularin France than it

Vichy has limited the strength of alcoholic beverages and restricted their
sale somewhat. It has had to give up its early attempts to discourage' habits. .Even

gambling.

The French resent atte-Lpts to regulate their

collaborationist papers,

for instance, publicly denounce the government's

program of tobacco rationing.

'.ii.

Holidays.

Legal holidays in France are: (1) Sundays,

(2) New Year's Day, (3) Easter Monday, (4) Ascension (the Thursday forty
days after.Easter), (6) July 14th, 1st), (5) the Monday of Pentecost (fifty days after Easter),

(7) Assumption (August 15th),

(8) All Saints! Day (November The national patriotic to the American Fourth %C

.(9) Armistice Day, and (10) Christmas. July 14th (Bastille Day), comnarable

holiday is July.

It is norally celebrated with public ceremonies and street dancing,

but it is greeted with notable lack of enthusiasm by the sections of France hostile to the Republic and to the tradition of the French Revolution. Reactionaries normally join with the rest of their countrymen, however, in honoring St. Joan of Arc, the national heroine, on the second Sunday in May. Children receive gifts at Christmas, New Year's Day and at Easter. while adults exchange them on celebrates not only his Like Americans,

The individual

birthday but also the day of the saint

whose name he bears.

-55-

the French also observe: Apri

'00 ,'sDay (Poisson d'Avril).

iv.

Fairs and Festivals.

In. normal times-(and

townand, villa

to a certain
e in France

extent . since the Armistice) holds an annual fair, with

almost every city,

the ca nival trimrings characteristic

of, the usually reraind one

,'merican fair.

Villages, tao, frequently hold. an. annual. festival, patron saint. Its games and fireworks

on the day on the village

of an American

"O0ld

Home Day."t

A wedding, for

christening,

first

conunioon, or smaller.

even a funeral frequently calls communities. v. events, in dancing, Recreation.

a family. festival,

especially in

The movies, the are all

theater, music,

sporting

and excursions outdoors

popular types of 'recraation as the best

France.

Unlike many Americans, the consumption

however,

Frenchmen regard

possible recreation versation in

of a good dinner or an evening

of con-

a local cafe. vi. Sports. Sports do rot living. figure very prominently 'icy the He usually finds that his, sufficient physical training. for strenuous .in a good

ordinary Frenchman's

routine 'of

compulsory
After-

militaxy service has provided ward, he has neither the facilities

him with

nor the inclination However, he .is

exercise in

the -American fashion.

apt to indue

deal of very casual Spectator -sports and, ate

fishing
attract

and hunting,. a fair amount of attention

-

tennis,

booing,

above all:, 'racing. the horse races at

Annual

sports events which arouse particular interest and Auteuil (both in the paris) and at

Longohamps

Deauville,' the motor races at bicycle circuit race at Paris during

Monte Carlo in the winter', and

.June,

six-day .indoor a bicycle

the. Tour de France, Some of

of the whole country,

during the sumner.

these. racing-

events have continued since Organized education: athletics

1940. feature of'French themselves, not

have seldom constituted a rnjor are apt to consider games an end in

Frenchmen

5--6a means to discipline, of girls,: boys,

War I:

good

spor smanship, or good' health. In

In. -the. case the case of tiorld

organized athletics are usually non-existent.

basketball,, rugby, and other sports have become popular since:

Before the present war, Georges Hebert, a naval officer,

developed

a program of all-around physical training

designed to make the average

youth

a moderately proficient athlete.

now the accepted policy'of

Herbertisme (as this program is called) -is

.by

the various youth organizations sponsore

Vichy.
(e) Living-Conditions. i. General. There were, of course, wide ranges in living

conditions in
by thrift

France before the war,

iven the lower-income groups,

however,
and to

and good management, wine, tobacco,

usually contrived to set and leisure in cities time for

a good table, life. treater course,

have: sufficient Artisans

a satisfying

and small

shopkeepers

probably experienced and real poverty did, of

living exist.

difficulties than. did co.intry people;

The ordinary standard of living would seem,' however,

high. War has almost entirely stopped the production

to

have, been fairy

of "consumer goods in

France, has raised all prices,arid has not raised. wages in

Hence,; even aside from the question difficult, hold articles all classes, as. needed replacements in of food,

compensation.

living has become much more and ordinary house-.

clothing,, shoes,

become harder and harder to obtain.

This condition exists inflated prices.

for

except possibly for those who can afford

Shabbiness, frequently a mark of thrift in pre-war-middle-class France, ais now almost universal. Old clothes have become worn, and new clothes (if

any) are of poor quality. maintenance difficult. ii. in France.; In

Scarcities of soap and repair materials make

Housing.

There. is

a wide variety in

types of housing for dwellings

general,

the' homes have an air

of. permanency,

are meant to serve from generation to generation.

The influence of the!

French family' is probably as strong in architecture as it is in other spheres; once' suitably housed, a family is apt to remain in the spine dwelling, than cdis-

improving it

and eventually,

out branrche s from it,

rather

carding it farm villages

for

a new- house as income >improves., and small towns,

--

This is

especially

true

of

and to some extent in the well-to-do --

cities,

though apartabout in

ment dwellers

particularly

frequently shift

a manner familiar To the visitor, squalid. might in kept.

to Americans. France shows little that is ugly, "unpicturesque" and even what wellor

Neatness is America be

a form of thrift sluwi districts

to most Frenchmen, are apt in

France to be fairly

Farmhouse life may at times be complicated by the presence of pigs but this is a matter of necessity or convenience, not a sign

or chickens, of squalor,

iii.

Dietary Habits.

The

average pre-war diet sugar,

included meat There food not

comfortable amounts of bread (mostly white and rye), and fish, butter and edible oil, cheese, was little in waste, especially among city

wine,

milk, eggs, and vegetables. housewives, who bought their (refrigerators

small quantities

from day to

day to obviate spoilage

being easily

available).

The wartime cut in This reduction

consumption of major foods has (resulting from decreased agricultural

involved some real agricultural products,

hardships.

production and difficulties

and imports, of distribution)

heavy German demands for

has been effected ;by severe

rationing.

It

has been said that if

consurption were actually restricted

However, some form of

to the rationed

'amounts, . starvation would ensue. is universal,

Black Market buying on their (up to 2~ rations. pounds)

and probably few Frenchmen depend entirely can also be supplemented by food parcels This means, in practice, fairly and also,

-Legal -ratiofs from

country relations.

free, access in all

to farm surpluses by consumers with farm connections, considerable "illegal"" transactions for

probability,

rationed foods

between non-related townspeople and farm acquaintances. and money can also obtain unrationed foods such as fruits,

Consumers with time fish, and vegetables.

The farmers reta supplyin ithe

insufficient food for their own consumption (besides But orare

Black: Market and conducting some private trade).

consumers, whose hours for bargaining

dinary urban working-class short and whose wages to the rationed diet

are still

near pre-war levels, and fish

are, often restricted as do reach the markets.

plus such gegetables

(f) Attitude toward the war.

i.

Official.

While the Vichy regime is

its attitude toward them is

not officially at
uncompromisingly

war with the United Nations, hostile.

The Petain government no longer maintains diplomatic relations

with the Allies.

It broke'-With Britain at the start;

uver since Hitler's

a French legion

invasion of Russia it has maintained - or so it claims fighting

alongside the Germans on the eastern front;it severed relations with

the United States immediately after the invasion of North Africa; and
has recalled its representatives from Chungking.

it

In addition, Vichy officials and the inspired press and radio maintain

a constant barrage of propaganda praising the 'Axis and identifying America, Britain, the Jews, Communism, and democracy as manifestations of the same these collaborationits France. The.

basic cvil., The victory of the United Nations, assert,

will

mean the institution of Q Communist regime in

Americans and the British, they go on

to

say, are preparing to'dismember the

to annex Indo-China.

French empire in Africa and elsewhere, while China plans

The only hope Lor France, they~oncizde,' is

an Axis victory

which

will permit

the French to realize their potentialities to the full within the firamework of the "New Order". This attitude reflects the influence both of Nazi pressure and of the

natural inclination of official Vichy ,circles.

It is

true that Vichy has

that Vichy has been the policy

never enjoyed a free hand in respect to foreign policy; obliged to follow the Nazi line. Yet, it

must be remembered,

required by the Germans often agrees completely with the deep-seated prejudices ment at of the reactionary and fascistic individuals who run the governin the days. of the Republic,

Vichy.

These were the people wino,

a opposed democracy and hates

ed Communism above all else.

This was the faction hostile to Britain and the Nnijted States and in favor
of appeasing and .befriending Italy the war this and Germany. Never fully .reconciled to view from

French participation in

element took a defeatist

the start.

It

has come into

ii.

its

own with a vengeance

since June 190.

the French,

Unofficial.

:Except .for a- small minority,

people reject the attitude of Vichy. country liberated, resulting and the collaborationists

They want, the Axis defeated, their punished. As the apathy resentment against

from the capitulation

has given way to bitter

the Germans, more groups*

and

more Frenchmen have supported the' patriotic resistance and regard de Gaulle as
It is still too

They have rallied to the Fighting French,

and the promise of liberation.

the symbol-of resistance early to estimate

the reaction of Frenchmen to. the. new French Committee. of

National Liberation which de Gaulle and Giraud have formed at it seems clear that they expect it

Algiers.

But

to provide the means for France to enter

as a member in full standing anc&to

the counsels of the United Nations

resume her, role as a major power.

The great majority of Frenchmen, then, are. passionately desirous- of

a United Nations victory. participate in their liberation.

They expect American and British troops to Some of them, however, do not completely

trust either the United States o

Great Britain.

They interpret some

features of the Allied program in North Africa, for instance, as .an attempt to force Frenchmen to accept a fundamentally un-French policy.
On the other hand, een beginning to vincible. desert confirmed adherents of Petain and Laval are the Axis is the hope that not inFrance may

the Germans.

They suspect that

Some of them favor

a negotiated peace in

control the balance of power in Europe either alone or in conjunction with

Spain, Portugal and Italy in a Latin bloc. Othersin are.. now willing' to play in order to sawe with the Allies, their as

fortunes or position,

just

they

played the Axis game when that side seemed to be winning.

(g) Languages.
i. standard French. French. Nearly everyone in France can speak or write

The acct

from

Ice

to place --

the basic

angu ag;e of goverri:i1ent, ever; where.

us;lmeos,

and culture is

fundamentally local

the same dialects

Some... Frenchmen can still

speak traditional

(or ojtois) which differ

markedly from standard French.

Such persons,

however, can almost invariably speak standard French too.

ii. lion-French .: Lam 1:.es SpSoke~n b Frenchm!en.

(i) General.

Almost two million native Frenchmen within

the boundaries of France as they were constituted in 1939 do not have French as their mother tongue. These people are to be round principally In almost every instance, however, they

in the extreme corners of France.

can also speak standard French, and in many cases they prefer to do so.' The prestige of the larger towns (where French is almost invariably the accepted la.iguage), militsry service, the standardizing influence of the public schools transportation

and

and the development or modern

and communiSince World War scholars,

cation --- all have tended to make these people bilingual. I there has been much agitation on the part of and political malcontents to resurrect

few publications,

and extend the use or local

languages, to teach them in the schools, and to create or revive their use
for literature..

Nevertheless,

this agitation has achieved no notable

successes, even thaugh the Germans have exploited it since 1940 in an effort to revive provincial loyalties (ii) ,a majority anr' weaken French nationalism. These are spoken by of Haut-Rhin and Mdoselle).

German and Gernanic Dialects.

of the inhabitants

of Alsace (departmenits

Bas-Rhin) and of northern and eastern Lorraine After the recovery of Alsace-Lorraine and by by Fralnce

(department of in

1919 the kno, ledge of

French spread rapidly it.

1939 most Alsatians and Lorrainers could s e.k

Although the Germans have prescribed the use of French in public since

they re-annexed the provinces in 1940, it is not likely that the situation' existing in 1939 has changed in essentials. (iii) Breon, a Celtic tongue, is spoken by about a million people in Brittany, but only in the western half of the peninsula, (departments of Finistere, MJorbihan, among the lower social and western Cotes du d ord) and only

groups.

(.V) 'Bsiue, an .isolated and peculiar 'language, is

spoken by appro of France nately 100,:000 people in the extreme' southwestern corner

(department of Basses-Pyrenees).

( people,

leish.

-a Ditch dialect,

is

spoken by about 200,000

chiefly from the lower classes, part of Nord department).

(vi) Catalan is

at the northern tip of France (north-

western

spoken by about 200,000 people

along the

northeastern It is tried

slopes of the

>yrenees (department of Pyrenees-Prientales).

closely related to medieval Provencal which a few zealots have vainly

to revive in' southeastern France.

(vii) Italian is spoken at the southern extremity of the

French side of the ItaJlian frontier .(eastern part of Alpes MSaritimes)'.

iii. Forigers. Of the foreigrs remaining

(isee below, (h) iii), the vast majority can speak French.
(h) Racial conflicts i.

in France tody

and

discriminations.

Introduction.' France has long been noted as a refuge for

the persecuted, and Frenchmen have been known for their tolerant attitudein
respect to racial problems. Vichy, however, has adopted a totalitarian

racial policy, partly by inclination forming to

and

partly by the necessity of con-

the Nazi patterns. Racial discrimination has been typical of

the reactionary political doctrines believed the provided

Vichy

regime.

It has also

,aconvenient

excusefor, creating vacancies in the ranks of

officials.

The Nazis have encouraged the policy in order to weaken the strong

French sense of nationalism ii. The Jews.

(i) Number.

Yhen war came in 1939, there-were approxi1%

mately 300,000 Jews in France, less thah 40,000 of them had

of the total population.

Some

arrived

in France since 1933 as refugees from the Nasi

r~egime in Central Europe. The German victory in May-June 1940 led to the appearance of another

50,000' fro

the'Low Countries and from Alsace-Lorraine.

Before the war the

chief centers of Jewish population had been Paris, the larger seaports, and Asace-Lorraine. Now the Jews sou'ht to escape from the zone occupied by the

Germans.

After the Armistice,

consequently,

the Jews were distributed

about evenly on both sides of the demarcation line, with approximately 170,000 in
Since

each of the two zones.

the spring of 1942 the number of Jews. in France has steadily

declined as a result both of wnolesale deportations and of the flight of

individuals. remain:.ng in It is impossible to estimate accurately is the number of Jews less than 300,000,

France today.

Certainly it

probably

,agood

bit

less.

Statistics emanating from the Vichy regime and

They

from the French press and radio on this score are totally unreliable. grossly exaggerate the number of Jews for purposes of propaganda.

(ii)
treat Jews on the basis

Status before 1940.

It

is

,a French
Under

tradition to

of tolerance and equality.

the Third Republic

'there was no official discrimination against the Jews. civil citizens. and religious rights and participated xist in French life

They enjoyed full

like any other

Anti-Semitism did

but was usually

expressed surreptitiously.

However, it became a clear-cut publ c.. issue when a Jewish personality was at the center of a heated political controversy. Thus overt anti-Semitic agit-

ation occurred at the turn of the present century because of the Dreyfus
case, and again, in 1936 and 1937, when Leon Blum headed the Popular Front

government. (iii) Status in the German Occupied Zone. From the

first the Germans singled out the Jews for. special treatment.

Three months There-

after the Armistice Jews were forbidden to re-enter the Occupied Zone. after anti-Semitic measures were extended rapidly until the notorious Nuremberg laws of theThird Reich were applied in full intensity. time, the anti-Jewish legislation of Vichy was also enforced.

At the same

(See below,

section(v)).

Today Jews no longer participate in the economic and professional life of the Occupied Zone. Nearly every Jewish enterprise has either

been sold (often on teems extremely advantageous to the new owner) or handed over to the ntrusteeship" of Aryan commissioners. The fortunes of wealthy

Jewish individuals and families,, like the Rothachilds and Lazards, have..
been ;confiscated. The number of jobs open to Jews. has steadily decreased,

since they may hold neither high positions nor those bringing them-into

direct contact with the public.

Only-a minute proportion of Jews may be

active in the various professions..

Jews in the Occupied Zone suffer under many other restrictions and

persecutions.

They must display the Star of David on their clothing.

specified hours. They cannot attend places of public

They

may sloop only at

entertainment.

Many of their synagogues .have been closed. along

:with

All Jews have other categories. of

been evacuated from, the northern coastal area;

Jews, they have been placed in

concentration camps. a systematic and brutal policy' of especially to

Today the Nazis are following

-transporting Jews from the Occupied Zone to eastern Europe, Folish Silesia. 'Foreign Jews were the first

to go, with 25_30,000

estimated to have left

to remove all

by the end of March 1943.

The Nazis obviously intend

of children and the aged.

Jews, with the possible :exception (iv) Status in

the Italian :Occupied Zone.

The Italian the ;.Jews

occupying authorities have acquired the reputation of treating humanely

-

more humanely, in fact,

than Vichy does.

Consequently, 10-

20,000 Jews are reported to have fled to the areas east :of the Rhone 'Which come under Italian jurisdiction.
confinemei t.

There they .are -held in

relatively lenient

(v) Status. in the Vichy .Zone. *

1941

the Vichy Government commissioner stert.

,However,

created a Commissariat General of Jewish Affairs.' '.The first exercised his mandate erratically and ineffectively at

the

'treatment of the Jews became notably harsher after 'the appointment of

Darquir de Pellepoix as Comissioner (Lay 1942), and harsher still after

the

extension of Germany's de.facto occupation to

-the whole

of France (November

1942)..
Foreign Jews have had the worst of it. At first they were consigned to

concentration or labor camps; by the Spring of 1945 the them off to eastern Europe was well under way. It is

process

of :shipping

estimated that 10,000

were deported by March 1943.

Meanwhile, the proportion of Jews classified All Jews who have been naturalized since

as foreign has steadily increased.

1927 have been deprived of French citizenship. In the long run almost all Jews, native or foreign, will probably be deported ffom the Vichy Zone. They have been excluded from the departments

along the Mediterranean coast and the Spanish Frontier, not to mention Allier and Puy-de-Dome (the departments in the immediate vicinity of Vichy) and Haute-Savoie. Elsewhere, native Jews are not permitted to leave their The role of Jews in governmental, not elimin-

residences without special permission.

economic and professional life has been steadily whittled away, if ated entirely.

Jewish children have been segregated in separate schools.

Marriage between Jews and non-Jews is forbidden, while in the case of such marriages already contracted, divorce is encouraged. all Jewish organizations, Israelites. Jews. It except for synagogues, Vichy has consolidated

into the General Union of

Membership and financial contributions are mandatory for all

is rumored that Jews may have to wear the Star of David and reside And, finally, they are theoretically subject to the scrutiny appears to exist only on

in ghettoes.

of special anti-Jewish police (which, however, paper).

(vi) Anti-Semitic Propaganda. The Germans and Vichy jointly disseminate anti-Jewish propaganda, With Au Pilori (the French counterpart

of Der Sturmer) in the van, almost the entire press tediously assigns to the Jews a large part of the blame for the defeat of France, the Black Market and all the other woes of the world. Study of the "Jewish question"

is to be made compulsory in higher education, and the Sorbonne already boasts a professorship in this field. "study' of racial questions. (vii) Popular Reaction to Anti-Semitism. The anti-Semitic In addition, special societies exist for the

campaign does not appear to have impaired the fundamental tolerance of the French people. Many Frenchman have gone out of their way, sometimes at

great risk to their own safety, in order to demonstrate their sympathy for the Jews.
_

Both Catholic and Protestant dignitaries have vigorously and

I~repl^p -

publicly protested against the persecution of the . Jews. ground press, almost without exception, Vichy.

And the uznderof

denounces the racial policies

iii.

.Foreigners's
(i) Number. In 1936 there were The Italians 2,453,524 foreigners in the largest At

France,

or 5.85% of the population.

constituted

contingent, followed by Poles, Spaniards, Belgians, and Russians.

present (June 1943), while there are no more recent statistics available, it is obvious that the number of foreigners has declined sharply as a result flight and deportation. (ii) the direct In or. indirect Status. All foreigners throughout France come under authorities.

surveillance of the German occupying all

the Occupied

Zone the Germans have arrested Nazi rule, in

foreigners who are

refugees from at

Central Europe oz who originated from countries while men the Vichy

war with Germany.

Generally, women and children are interned, labor service, often in Russia. In

are deported to the east for

Zone the same

at

categories

of foreigners received much more moderate treatment

first.

Now, however,

with

the extension of German occupation,' they are

the Occupied Zone. neutral or pro-Axis enjoy some degree permits, and they are

sharing the fate

of those in

Foreigners who are politically of liberty. Yet they cannot travel

without special

frequentlt excluded from strategic zones.

for labor in

They are liable to conscription

to internment camps.

special groups and may be consigned

Vichy has provided that

oreigners who have acquired French citizenship

since 1927 may be deprived of it

politically this "undesirable"

by decree.

Several thousand Jews and

their citienship in

,elements have already lost

fashion. Vichy has restricted the follwing professions to Frenchmen whose fathers

were themselves French: the civil service, the bar, medicine, and architecture. In addition, the government may take over the management of alien property if
"a foreigner for any reason whatsoever is not in a position to insure a good

management."

-GSSELECTED REFERENCES

Edith

Wharton, FrenchWays (New York, 1932.7

Philip Carr, Th
(New York,

endTher

Mening
1934).

French at. Horse (London,

E. El.,Curtius, The Civilization of~ France

1932Y.
1935).

E. T. Amateau, French Civilization (New York, 1936). Cicely Hamilton, Miodern France (London,

British Admiralty, NID Handbook on France (London, 1942). Canlton Hayes, France, A Nation of-Patriots (New York, 1930).
(Paris,

1930).

British PWE Handbook on France (1942). Direction de la Statistique Generale et de la Documentation, Resultat atist iaues3 Recensement de gPo ulations effectue le Fdajsj1, Tome I, 1 ere partie (Paris, 1938). Military 'Intelligence Service, U. S. War Dept., Strategic Survyx of Frnc (Washington, September .1942)

-67-

C.Lizar..

-eJ

0 C1

4 L4AjTI Q

f d Th7r"'
n Of

r
C.Sici

'f lf eTropez
aHea

"Al'E R
:Cerberc .C.de Creius 1

MJED I T E R R ANE
Echelle= sSaoo.ooo0
2' 50 to

200ljj

Physical Features of' France

/ i

PROVISIONAL EDITION

ill

cr

Mont u50

~Th ~
PAPER

ORELAIN

An no no y

Iordeoux Decozeno le Agen CNERIES C

L e Toed PAPER

~oA

laonne

Touousoe~ Aen

fftti

INDUSTRI'A'L

AREAS

OF

FRANCE

Metal Industries Dominant

Textiles industries within each category are named -

Miscellaneous

;'"

30, MAP 11A 713, JULY

1942

IN DRAWN

0.0.S. DIVISION, THE GEOGRAPHY

PROVISIONAL
4

EDITION
2 0

-69
2

-' 4 6 -

FREE
8.

E N

G. L

D ' t 8E
p

L G I U M t r

-NGERMANY

50

N N
* \~)AMIENS

\:\LUX(EMBOR

....

*~PRIS

'i~iis::i1
ORLAN

~flBT

~E

T L A N TI C O C EA N

AGRICULTURAL

E1

i~::::::::.::.. Woodlands with vineyards Livestock raising areas

Areas predominantly in field craps

Market

gardens

7,05

JULY

14,

1942

4, IN THE GEOGRAPHY DIVISION, 0. S. S. MAP05 ULY 942DRAWN-

EDITION PROVISIONAL

SOUTHERN

FRANCE
/

AGRICULTURAL REGIONS

LEGEND
Ra. .

SGRAZING (Uhmp AND) WHEAT. S

Atb RE GRAZING (SheepDommnnnt PoorPh... POTATOES~ BUCKWHEAT.

FJDAIRYING (Chos. SpoddIp)

DAIRYING (dhuse Specialy)

Poor

Phase

BAY OF BISCAY

NED MI: FARMING (Wheot and Livudocic) SSILVICULTURE

AND, ALMONDS OUVIES

hA

TRC CRP

WHEA
am CAILE
AND

~C

LS

MARSEILL

--

So

100

15

MILES

1w
MAPNO. 2304

1.E-

7
AND ANALISIS.mis OP SN AND DRAWN THEBRANCH RESEARCH COMPILED OSS SECTION. THE REPRODUCED-IN REPRODUCTION

15 APRIL1943

-~711 0O .Miles * 200 K m s.

The departmnents of Frmncw

except Corsica

-72-

REGIONAL DIVISION
1941 ** Armrnstice lie R* 19n21 boundary 5
-Deparentra

IA.

beundaay

b~~ divson, '94'

-73-

Archbishoprics

and bishoprics

Basedon the Adlas de Friau cjplate 69 (Paris, 1933)" The two bishoprics of Meta and Strasbourg have been under the direct supervision of the Holy See since

1871.

-74-

CORSICA
DENSITY OF
Less than65 65-129 More than518 URBANPOPULATION Sizeof circle proportional number inhabitants to of * 2,000 7,750 " ,50,000

POPULATION
1 30.259 260-518

SE A
N

INHABITANTS PER SQUARE MILE

10

15

20

MILES
5

t0

15

20

KILOMETERS

7'i

:4LAVEZZI

MAPNO. 1277 NOV.19, 1942

5 iT7n Y

Annulr~ent of M1arriag e. . . "07 Aquitaine 3ai..0. 00. 0...0.. Armo ri can Penin sul c.. "...o. . . Arrondissements ..... 0."... 23,47

15,16,18,19,20,51

German and

,Germianic

Dialects.........606

Associations Culturelles..,.oe..:
Attitude toward~the Unofficial ....

.4 Jar.".......".......583
......

Glass Making...r.....o.........o.......19 Havre.............. .......e..........4 Herbertisme.........r.......o....e....56 Holidays........ .............. 50,55,56 Homes (see Family)
Industries........10,11,12,16,17,19,20,47

Official...... ..............0......58

Basques...............

o..... oo... "......o ".....50.S9

Iron

)6

Birth rate (see Familty) Bi Bordeaux......."......".............. 5,7 Breton...............................60 Calvinist s (see Protestantism) Canal s (see Transportation) Cata~l n ......... ..................13,61 Cattle and Horse-redisine,...3., 7,10,12,l6,18 Massif.. ......................9 Church end Religion.................e...42 Catholicism................40,42,4:7,48 Prot estantisn............... # .... 50 Church

Italian Language................61

(see Iinerals)

Jewrs........."..............."...42,5l
Anti-Sem~itic propagpanda....".......64

shops.e............o.........49

Thamber..r...... ........ ....... 61 Status before 1940.................62 Status in German Ocurlied .. 62 Status in Itsalians Occu'Aied Zones ..... 63

'Zones.

In Vicoby................0........63

Judaism...e......o..............52

Central

(and see Jews) Lang.a.ges...". .............. ................ French..... 'Ton-D'rench... ....................

Living

,......59 e..59
...... 56

Condit~ons.....0......

Labor

Unions......................45

Churches - Ownership (see Church and Religion.) (see Foreiuiers)

Coal

Dietary Habits ............... :.......57 General ................. e...........,.56. Housin;.......e..................."..6 !:a nufacturi3 ............ 4,5,7,11,16,18,19,
Ira rr iag;e..................00 .. .... ... 39 :'edit errnean .... "13 Mineals. e. ..... "5,6,7,9,11,14,18,19, 20

Prance..........

0o

Concierge. .............o............5
%ncordat ..................:.......42,43 Confederation Fran~aise des

(see Miineral s)

'!*onkcs and (see Chrch and Rvlin TatoaState)

'Tuns

Travailleurs

Chr~tiens.............49

(end see Labor) Cotton and W7ool (see Industries)

Cultural Dairies

(see Politics and the Church) ortheastern -rance.........e..........18 irorthern Plain:.."........ 9.........:.1 3Thmbeof Cler re ....... e0 ..............
Paris Basin......~.......e.........2
Pa1ris.......~......
P easan-t ........ ....

49

Characteristics .........39, 53 Cure' (Priest) ............... 948,49

(see Industries) Demographic Divisio:.................. 22 flivnoce and Separation............... .39 Dreyfus Case ........ .... .. 4.r,62 Drinking, ,Gabl etc.................54 ins Eitrepot .......................... 4,14 Tsprit.......... ....................44 Ethnica.l divisions (see Racial characteristics) Family,............ ...............39,40 Ferry Service....................... .. 4 Fishing...........................8,9,21 Flemish ..................... ;.....6
Foreigners.
............... 62,65 ....59

(see Social Str'atificatioii) Personal Charcteristics....,.".....52 P etain and Laval. .. ... ..

.. e..

59

Petite Bourgeoisie.................. 4 Politics and the Church.... ......... 44,46 Population

Age, lTatio~iality.........
. ... e.e
.037

Occxjetion.e.......... "o""""... .. Press and Radio

(see Attitude toward the v~ar)
Pilgrima ;es........
*0..e...."41,
......

Statistics.............""......24,36
... 49

Processions anid

Production..........0....."...........6,

Protestantism...."...... Pyrendes, Prench........"......12

Racial caatrsis R'alliement.
Racial conflicts..... ........

Proat itut ion. .......

50
0

do Gaulle and.Giraudo .............

Geographical divi sions ............

......

-2

...................... 45

(see Living Conditions/ Tietary Habits) SID)

(Conit.) Recreation

Rhone-Saone Dep~ression

& Sports.. ...... 55

.......

..

17

Tradition...........................5
Transportation...J. 2,13,14,17,18,20 0, Union des Eg1 ices Reforrlees Evangelique s.............. ...... 90950 (and see Church and Religion, Protestenticmn)

Separation Act. ............ 43 Silk and Ribbon Wactories (see Industries) Social Groups.........................52 Social Stratification..................53 Southeastern M!ounta~ins Alps and Juras....................15 Sufrage (see Women)

Vegetables.................

..... 8,15,20

Waterpower .......................... 16
Weather ...............6,7,10,13,14,15,20 Wines...... ............6,10',12,15,13,19 Women ...... ......................40,41

Sugar-beet......................3,4,10,20

Temrp Nouveaux.:.... . .........

,.......44