Reading the news achieves from the 1940s, I have to say the ideas that were being discussed in the mainstream press for post-war France and Britain were eye raising.
To give you an idea, one of the most tame was the complete erradication of the french state, and some people, such as Friedrich Blumenthal and Herbert Siegler, were thinking splitting the country into various states vassal to Germany (1) was a good idea. This states would be partially germanized (the german language would be mandatory for all levels of education), the idea of a united french state would be erradicated, complete demilitarization and deindustrialization, and the agrarian economy and political structures were to be made completely reliant on Germany.
Alot of the German populace seems to have supported this option, as France had been defeated by Germany three times in a row by then, it's very existance was percieved as a threat to Germany's own. There were literally people whose greatgrandfathers, grandfathers, and fathers had all died fighting frenchmen in different wars.
In the end, cooler heads prevailed, and it's hard to believe France and Germany are now BFF.
What are some other ideas like this one?
(1) Siegler's idea which made the news around the world, was splitting France in six states in perpetual commonwealth with Germany. All of them would have the Kaiser as the nominal Head of State: Britanny, Occitania, Normandy, Orleans, Burgundy, and a Paris Free State.
To give you an idea, one of the most tame was the complete erradication of the french state, and some people, such as Friedrich Blumenthal and Herbert Siegler, were thinking splitting the country into various states vassal to Germany (1) was a good idea. This states would be partially germanized (the german language would be mandatory for all levels of education), the idea of a united french state would be erradicated, complete demilitarization and deindustrialization, and the agrarian economy and political structures were to be made completely reliant on Germany.
Alot of the German populace seems to have supported this option, as France had been defeated by Germany three times in a row by then, it's very existance was percieved as a threat to Germany's own. There were literally people whose greatgrandfathers, grandfathers, and fathers had all died fighting frenchmen in different wars.
In the end, cooler heads prevailed, and it's hard to believe France and Germany are now BFF.
What are some other ideas like this one?
(1) Siegler's idea which made the news around the world, was splitting France in six states in perpetual commonwealth with Germany. All of them would have the Kaiser as the nominal Head of State: Britanny, Occitania, Normandy, Orleans, Burgundy, and a Paris Free State.