Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Propaganda poster in French stating how Britain created its Empire by taking French territories. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. In response Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. On June 22, 1940, France signed an armistice agreement by which the Germans would occupy the northern half of France. After the armistice and occupation, German authorities began releasing propaganda to fuel the resentment many French people held towards the British. The poster lists, in chronological order, French colonial losses to Britain by year. In 1704, as part of the war of the Spanish Succession Britain captured Gibraltar from Spain, France’s ally. At the subsequent treaty of Utrecht, Britain’s possession of Gibraltar was formalized and France ceded Newfoundland. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris concluded the Seven Years War between France and Britain. As part of the terms of the treaty, France relinquished Canada and all conquests in India since 1749. In 1801, the British foiled Napoleon’s military campaign in Egypt. In the Entente Cordiale, signed in 1904, France recognized Britain’s sphere of influence over Egypt. The poster implies that the British Empire was formed from these victories, however, the poster fails to inform the reader of the concessions that Britain made to France over the same period.
- Artwork Title
- Français, n'oublie pas
- Alternate Title
- French do not forget
- Date
-
publication:
after 1940 September 23-before 1944 August
- Geography
-
distribution:
France
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection
- Markings
- front, printed, blue and red ink : FRANÇAIS, / N'oubliez pas que si l'Angleterre / s'est créé, depuis deux cents ans, un Empire / sur le monde, c'est uniquement au détri- / ment de notre Pays. / Les dates qui suivent rappellent, chacune, une blessure faite / à la France : / 1704 : Après la guerre de Succession, l'Angleterre s'installe à / GIBRALTAR. / 1713 : Paix d'Utrecht. L'Angleterre nous prend TERRE-NEUVE. / 1753-1765 : Apres les guerres desastreuses du XVIIIe siècle, / l'Angleterre nous prend le CANADA et s'installe defini- / tivement aux INDES conquises par Dupleix. / 1783 : Nous cédons aux Anglais les Iles BAHAMA. / 1801 : Les Anglais s'emparent de l'EGYPTE (après la campagne / de Bonaparte et le meurtre de Kléber). / 1803 : Les Anglaise s'installent a SAINTE-LUCIE colonisée par les / Française. / 1800-1815 : L'lle de MALTE, conquise par Bonaparte en 1798, / est prise et conservée par les Anglais. / 1810 : Les Anglais s'installent à I'LLE MAURICE qui nous appar- / tenait. / 1810-1814 : Ils s'installent aux Iles SEYCHELLES. / 1839 : Ils s'installent à ADEN. / 1874 : Les Anglais s'emparent de la gestion du CANAL DE / SUEZ construit par le Français de Lesseps. / 1898 : Le SOUDAN, le BAS-NIL, FACHODA... / 1904 : Traité franco-espagnol, les Anglais se font donner / mains libres en ÉGYPTE / 1940 : Le guet-apens de MERS-el-KEBIR. / 1940 : 23 Septembre, l'agression de DAKAR. / et quoi encore?.... / FRANÇAIS, souvenez-vous! [French, / Do not forget that England has been creating an empire / for 200 years, to the detriment of our country. / The following dates recall, each, an injury made to France: / 1704: After the War of Succession, England settled in / GIBRALTAR. / 1713: Peace of Utrecht. England takes NEWFOUNDLAND. / 1753-1765: After the disastrous wars of the eighteenth century, England took CANADA and settled definitely on the INDIA conquered by Dupleix. / 1783: We cede to the English to the BAHAMA Islands. / 1801: The English seize EGYPT (after the campaign / of Bonaparte and the murder of Kléber). / 1803: The English settled in SAINT LUCIA colonized by the French. / 1800-1815: The island of MALTA, conquered by Bonaparte in 1798, is taken and preserved by the English. / 1810: The English settled in MAURITIUS which belonged to us. / 1810-1814: They settled in the SEYCHELLES Islands. / 1839: They settled in ADEN. / 1874: The English seize the management of the SUEZ CANAL built by the Frenchman Lesseps. / 1898: The SUDAN, the LOWER NILE, FASHODA ... / 1904: Franco-Spanish treaty, the English get hands-free EGYPT / The ambush of MERS-el-KEBIR. / 1940: September 23, the aggression at DAKAR. / and what else?.... / French, remember!]
Physical Details
- Language
- French
- Classification
-
Posters
- Category
-
War propaganda
- Object Type
-
Posters, French (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- French propaganda poster on faded medium weight, white paper with a historical timeline outlining territorial disputes between France and Great Britain surrounded by a triple line border with a blue exterior, white center, and red interior. The title is at the top in oversized blue text, followed by a paragraph of slightly smaller blue text. In the center is the timeline, the years are in red on the left followed by a 1 to 3 line description in blue text with names and places capitalized in red. At the bottom there is a line of larger blue text followed by another line of oversized blue text.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 46.875 inches (119.063 cm) | Width: 31.500 inches (80.01 cm)
- Materials
- overall : paper, ink
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Nazi propaganda--posters. Propaganda, Anti-British--Posters. Propaganda, French--History--20th century. World War, 1939-1945--Posters. World War, 1939-1945--Propaganda.--Pictorial works. Propaganda--Germany--History--20th century.
- Geographic Name
- France--History--German occupation, 1940-1945.--Posters.
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The poster was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1998.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
- Record last modified:
- 2022-07-28 18:23:35
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn12686
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Also in World War II French poster collection
The collection consists of posters depicting anti-Semitic, anti-British, and anti-American propaganda created in German occupied France during World War II.
Date: after 1940 September 23-before 1944 August
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Object
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Pro-German propaganda poster warning of threats against France
Object
Allegorical pro-German propaganda poster depicting France under attack by hostile, foreign elements allied with the Françaises Libres [Free French] movement. France is symbolized by a couple caring for the land, representing the safety and stability of France. They are threatened by three wolves labelled Freemasonry, Jews, and de Gaulle, supported by Lies, a three-headed snake, who seek to stop the regeneration of France. France was occupied by Nazi Germany from June 1940- fall 1944. The Free French were those who sought to continue the war against Germany even though France had surrendered. Most of these resistance forces were eventually united under General Charles de Gaulle. Paris was liberated on August 25, 1944, and de Gaulle entered in triumph the next day.
Propaganda poster blaming Jews for French peasants’ problems
Object
French announcement poster blaming Jews for the problems of farmers and peasants published by Centre Payson in September 1942. The text claims that Jews unfairly benefit from the peasant’s labor, manipulate the black market for their benefit, and are to blame for the war. After the occupation of France, German authorities began releasing propaganda to provoke antiemetic sentiment among the public. Germany invaded France in May 1940. In June France signed an armistice which gave the Germans control of northern and western France, including Paris. The unoccupied territory was governed from the city of Vichy by a collaborationist regime under Marshal Henri Philippe Petain. Petain’s administration came to be known as the Vichy government. In 1940 the Vichy government passed anti-Semitic legislation that excluded Jews from public life, dismissed them from positions in the civil service and military and barred them from occupations in industry, commerce, law, medicine, and teaching. In July 1941 the Vichy regime instituted a program of “Aryanization” seizing Jewish owned property for the French state. In June 1942 Jews in occupied France were required to wear Star of David badges. German officials and French police conducted roundups of Jews in the occupied and unoccupied regions. Some were taken to detention camps in Gurs, Les Miles, Saint-Cyprien and others while most were deported to killing centers in the east. In November German and allied Italian troops occupied the region under Vichy control. France was liberated on August 25, 1944. During the occupation, 77,000 Jews living in French territory were murdered.
