Assassination in Vichy
Marx Dormoy and the Struggle for the Soul of France
by Gayle K. Brunelle, Annette Finley-Croswhite
Description
During the night of 25 July 1941, assassins planted a time bomb in the bed of the former French Interior Minister, Marx Dormoy. The explosion on the following morning launched a two-year investigation that traced Dormoy’s murder to the highest echelons of the Vichy regime. Dormoy, who had led a 1937 investigation into the “Cagoule,” a violent right-wing terrorist organization, was the victim of a captivating revenge plot. Based on the meticulous examination of thousands of documents, Assassination in Vichy tells the story of Dormoy’s murder and the investigation that followed.
At the heart of this book lies a true crime that was sensational in its day. A microhistory that tells a larger and more significant story about the development of far-right political movements, domestic terrorism, and the importance of courage, Assassination in Vichy explores the impact of France’s deep political divisions, wartime choices, and post-war memory.
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Endorsements
"This is a riveting account of an overlooked episode in the history of the French Occupation. The authors act at once as historians and detectives, piecing together the tragic final act of Marx Dormoy's life and the conspiracy of fascist terrorists responsible for his killing, while demonstrating why scholars of France should care about this story. This accomplished and intelligent work is the perfect sequel to the authors’ much-admired previous book on the Cagoule."
Chris Millington, Manchester Metropolitan University
"Assassination in Vichy provides a strong and compelling examination of the continuation of the Cagoule’s intrigues and machinations into the 1940s, and places these within the larger context of factional rivalry within the Vichy Regime. Brunelle and Finley-Croswhite use their story to explore the difficulties for the French in coming to terms with the memories of Vichy and France’s role in the Second World War."
William Cormack, University of Guelph
"An engrossing read from start to finish, Assassination in Vichy revisits the grisly murder of a neglected but vital defender of France’s Third Republic. Attentive to the fraught character of wartime justice, this book combines first-rate sleuthing and masterful portraits of its subjects – ranging from Marx Dormoy himself to his killers, and the officials who tracked them – with sophisticated analysis of the historical context. For those concerned about far-right threats to democracy, this is a vital study."
Sean Kennedy, University of New Brunswick
Author Biography
Gayle K. Brunelle is a professor emeritus at California State University, Fullerton.
Annette Finley-Croswhite is a professor of History and director of the Center for Faculty Development at Old Dominion University.
Copyright Information
© University of Toronto Press 2020
University of Toronto Press
University of Toronto Press is Canada’s leading academic publisher and one of the largest university presses in North America, with particular strengths in the social sciences, humanities, and business. The Book Publishing Division is widely recognized in Canada for its strength in history, political science, sociology, Indigenous studies, and cultural studies. Internationally, UTP is a leading publisher of medieval, Renaissance, Italian, Iberian, Slavic, and urban studies, as well as studies in book and print culture. With the publication of influential authors and award-winning research, as well as a continuing dedication to groundbreaking new scholarship and innovative texts for the higher education market, UTP has firmly established its reputation for excellence. UTP's newest imprint is Aevo UTP, which brings its innovation and academic excellence to a general readership.
View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Publisher University of Toronto Press
- Orginal LanguageEnglish
- ISBN/Identifier 9781487588366
- Publication Country or regionCanada
- FormatPaperback
- Primary Price 29.95 CAD
- Pages328
- ReadershipGeneral
- Publish StatusPublished
- Copyright Year2020
- Dimensions9 x 6 inches
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