Editing Vichy (section)

=== World War II – Seat of the pro-German collaborationist government ===
{{Main|Vichy France}}
[[File:Palais des Congrès-Opéra de Vichy 2016-07-09.JPG|thumbnail|alt=The Opera in Vichy|The Opera in Vichy. In this building, parliamentarians of the [[French Third Republic]] granted full powers to Marshal [[Philippe Pétain]] on 10 July 1940.]]
Following the stunning [[Battle of France|defeat of Allied forces]] in just four weeks, on 10 June 1940 the French government fled Paris for [[Bordeaux]]. On 22 June France signed an [[Armistice of 22 June 1940|armistice]], which stipulated German occupation of the north and west of the country, including Paris and all of the Atlantic coast. The remaining two-fifths of France became the unoccupied Free Zone (''Zone Libre''). On 29 June the government and its parliamentarians moved to [[Clermont-Ferrand]].  Finding that city too cramped, on 1 July it moved on to Vichy. 

German forces had taken the city unopposed on 19 June, but departed with the Armistice. Vichy had the country's second largest hotel capacity, and a modern telephone exchange and post office built for its international visitors. The city was in the unoccupied zone 45 km south of the [[Demarcation line (France)|Demarcation Line]], relatively close to [[Paris]] (4.5 hours by train), and surrounded by productive agricultural lands. [[Pierre Laval]], soon to be Prime Minister, hailed from [[Châteldon]], a village 20 km south of Vichy. The city was, in any case, expected to be only a temporary seat of government until signature of the peace treaty.<ref>Nazi Germany was never to sign a peace treaty with any of its defeated opponents, but this was not foreseen in 1940-41. The armistice arrangements with France perfectly satisfied its military, economic, and administrative requirements. </ref>

On 9–10 July, 670 of the 846 members of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies met in the Vichy Opera House, where they overwhelmingly voted full powers to [[Philippe Pétain]] and authorized him to revise the constitution. The new regime called itself simply the French State (''État Français''), but it quickly came to be known as [[Vichy France]]. While Paris remained the official capital and much of the bureaucracy stayed there, Vichy was the ''de facto'' capital. It was home to Pétain's cabinet, top civil servants, the diplomatic corps, and the neutered parliamentarians. As the volume of individuals engaged in government activity adversely affected locals and the spa business, a system of residence permits was established that permitted only five days' maximum stay between 1 June and 30 September.<ref name=":0">"[https://vichymonamour.com/discover/visit/our-tours/circuit-vichy-1939-1945/ Circuit Vichy 1939-1945]," ''Vichy Mon Amour'' [Vichy tourist office website]</ref>

Following the Anglo-American [[Operation Torch|invasion of North Africa]] in November 1942, Germany occupied the Free Zone, including Vichy. The Pétain government remained, albeit with an even smaller range of effective action. The city became a center for [[Gestapo]] and the Vichy ''[[milice]]''. After the Allied breakout from Normandy in August 1944, the Germans took Pétain and his entourage to [[Sigmaringen enclave|exile in Germany]]. The Swiss Ambassador, Walter Stucki, arranged for the peaceful withdrawal of local German forces and the ''milice''. The [[French Forces of the Interior|FFI]] liberated the city on 26 August without bloodshed.<ref name=":0" />

The term "Vichyste", which designates partisans of the Pétain regime, should not be confused with "Vichyssois" which designates the inhabitants of the city. {{Citation needed|date=January 2012}}