Then Came Disaster: France and the United States, 1918-1940

(Hardback)

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French-American relations in the interwar period were marked by tension and disagreement. The Versailles Peace Conference revealed differences that would prove troublesome, disarmament and reparations in particular. The onset of the Great Depression would exacerbate these problems and create others. The rise of Hitler stimulated the Roosevelt administration to assist where it could, but the enormous French defeat, so unexpected in Washington, brought French-American relations to the point of crisis. This is the first study to combine elements of the interwar story with the fall of France, using the relationship between France and the United States as a lens to view larger issues of the day. Zahniser examines domestic politics on both sides of the Atlantic and analyzes the contributions of such notables as Bullitt, Roosevelt, Gamelin, Reynaud, Morgenthau, Churchill, and Hitler. His study challenges the misleading diplomacy of Roosevelt and Bullitt, who professed a close relationship with France, all the while knowing that the US could do little to help if Hitler attacked. Military strategy, placing emphasis on mobility, armor, and air power, became the new goals of modern warfare. Roosevelt would decide to seek a third term in part because the French defeat signaled that great work remained to be done. Dictators would make long-range plans that would eventually bring them to ruin.

Reviews

"The fall of France in 1940 while its hereditary ally the United Stated kept at a distance calls for an explanation. By beginning his story a whole war earlier Prof. Zahniser provides us with the facts we need to draw our own conclusions, and this is the best thing a historian can do."-Herbert R. Lottman author, The French Rothschilds
Be advised, it is hard to read with tears in your eyes...The two best elements of Zahniser's work are his loving dissection of French politics in the interwar years and his macroscopic view of the great game-multilateral inerwar diplomacy...Zahniser's careful analysis of the intricate diplomatic dance among the great powers in Europe bfore World War II can only be compared to Akira Iriye's treatment of developments in the Pacific at the same time. Each move by every player is placed concisely in context, and each reaction by the others is explained vividly.-Journal of American History
Zahniser long a specialist in Franco-US relations, has contributed a lively, well-written account that, despite its subtitle, focuses on the fall of France in June 1940 and its broad background. Though this ground has been covered many times, the author offers a genuinely fresh and solid approach....Recommended. All libraries.-Choice
Zahniser's careful analysis of the intricate diplomatic dance among the great powers in Europe before World War II can only be compared to Akira Iriye's treatment of developments in the Pacific at the same time. Each move by every player is placed concisely in context, and each reaction by the others is explained vividly.-Journal of American History
"Zahniser long a specialist in Franco-US relations, has contributed a lively, well-written account that, despite its subtitle, focuses on the fall of France in June 1940 and its broad background. Though this ground has been covered many times, the author offers a genuinely fresh and solid approach....Recommended. All libraries."-Choice
"Zahniser's careful analysis of the intricate diplomatic dance among the great powers in Europe before World War II can only be compared to Akira Iriye's treatment of developments in the Pacific at the same time. Each move by every player is placed concisely in context, and each reaction by the others is explained vividly."-Journal of American History
"Be advised, it is hard to read with tears in your eyes...The two best elements of Zahniser's work are his loving dissection of French politics in the interwar years and his macroscopic view of the great game-multilateral inerwar diplomacy...Zahniser's careful analysis of the intricate diplomatic dance among the great powers in Europe bfore World War II can only be compared to Akira Iriye's treatment of developments in the Pacific at the same time. Each move by every player is placed concisely in context, and each reaction by the others is explained vividly."-Journal of American History

Author Bio

MARVIN R. ZAHNISER is Professor Emeritus of History at The Ohio State University.