Course it is studied in: ‘Civil War in France’ (AHH2665), History Department

The Dark Years is a thorough account of France during the Nazi occupation, and definitely the first book to be read in order to have an overview of these dark and complex four years of French history. Jackson’s book is a synthesis of the many French publications dedicated to this topic, and he gives both detailed facts and the indispensable tools to grasp the current historiographical debates. It starts out by stressing the significance of the intellectual climate in France in the 1930s, and concludes on the memory of the Occupation after the war. The Dark Years is a good book to start with, but does certainly not replace the publications that have altered the debates, notably Robert Paxton’s seminal Vichy France: Old Guard and New Order (New York, 1973), the must-read on this period.

Verdict: 4/5