La diplomatie de l'entêtement : Franklin Roosevelt et la France (1939-1945)
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Abstract EN:
The first part of this dissertation is a review of the american diplomatic and political situation at the beginning of world war ii, after president roosevelt, in his chicago address of october 5th, 1937, had reoriented the policy of isolationism, hitherto pursued by the us, towards its eventual abandonment. The second part leads up to the franco-german armistice of june 1940 which caused roosevelt to regard france as a second-rate nation. Us policy towards vichy and free france respectively is the subject of the third part, which ends with the severance of diplomatic relations between the us and the vichy government on november 9th, 1942. Thereafter, roosevelt and de gaulle were left face to face ; relations between them form the theme of the last part, which ends up with the death of the president on april 12th, 1945. After keeping de gaulle uninformed of the operations in north africa, the united states made a deal with darlan, petain's former deputy at vichy ; then, after his death, the american government championed general giraud. When de gaulle proved to be the unquestioned head of the french resistance and of the provisional government of the french republic, roosevelt refused to face up to the fact, considering that de gaulle did not have a mandate from the french people. He waited until october 23rd, 1944, before recognizing de jure the provisional gouvernment of france as a result of pressure from his allies and advisors. However, he later refused to invite de gaulle to the yalta conference. By his stubbornness in pursuing an unrealistic diplomacy aimed at becoming the arbiter of france's destiny, roosevelt initiated a feeling of defiance towards the unites states in france which certainly was his major failure, as it was later to prove detrimental to relations between the two nations.
Abstract FR:
La premiere partie de la these est une analyse de la situation politique et diplomatique americaine au moment ou eclate la deuxieme guerre mondiale, apres la reorientation amorcee par le president roosevelt lors du discours de chicago du 5 octobre 1937, qui marqua le debut de l'abandon de la politique isolationniste des etats-unis. La deuxieme partie conduit a l'armistice de juin 1940, avec comme evenement majeur l'effondrement de la france que le president roosevelt considerera desormais comme une puissance de deuxieme ordre. Les rapports entre washington et, respectivement, vichy et la france libre forment la matiere de la troisieme partie qui aboutit a la rupture des relations entre les etats-unis et vichy, le 9 novembre 1942, a la suite du debarquement allie en afrique francaise du nord (afn). Apres cette date et jusqu'a sa mort, le 12 avril 1945, roosevelt se retrouvera face a de gaulle : leurs rapports difficiles font l'objet de la derniere partie. Apres avoir ecarte le mouvement gaulliste des operations d'afn, les etats-unis traiteront d'abord avec darlan, le numero deux de vichy, jusqu'a sa disparition, puis avec le general giraud contre la france libre. De gaulle s'etant tout de meme impose comme chef inconteste de la resistance et du gouvernement provisoire de la republique francaise, roosevelt s'obstinera a refuser d'admettre cette realite, considerant que le general n'etait pas elu. Il ne reconnaitra de jure le gouvernement provisoire que le 23 octobre 1944, sous la pression de ses allies et de ses conseillers. Malgre cela, le president s'opposera a la presence de de gaulle a la conference de yalta. Par son entetement a conduire une diplomatie irrealiste visant a se poser en arbitre des destinees de la france, roosevelt fit naitre dans ce pays, et c'est la son echec majeur, un sentiment de defiance envers les etats-unis, qui devait s'averer par la suite prejudiciable aux relations entre les deux nations.