Ashamed to Leave Paris

I'm contextualizing Marx Dormoy tonight in the history of the Fall of France, 14 June 1940.  The Battle for France began on 10 May 1940 when German troops invaded the Low Countries and entered France three days later.  Even after reorganizing his government, Paul Reynaud could do little to save France and on 5 June most of the French government moved south towards Bordeaux.  Leon Blum and Marx Dormoy then became locked in a virtuous attempt to stand firm.  Neither could believe that Paris was being abandoned by those who professed to love her.  Even the Socialist Party to which Blum and Dormoy belonged was in disarray.   Blum didn't want to leave Paris no matter how much his friends pressed him to do so.  On 9 June he did agree to send members of his family to Dormoy's hometown, Montlucon, and reluctantly near midnight that same night he too headed south to Montlucon.  The next day Italy entered the war and Blum and Dormoy believed that needed to return urgently to Paris...that they were needed, but when they arrived the city was deserted.  They couldn't find any of the various

ministers in place nor the Prime Minister, Reynaud, and only managed to contact the American Ambassador.  Finding the key governmental buildings deserted, Blum and Dormoy headed back to Montlucon where they arrived around 2 a.m. on the 12th of June.  The Germans marched into an undefended Paris on 14 June 1940.

Reading the brief bits of Blum's anguish over these events, I can only wonder how Dormoy felt.  These were honorable men united by socialist politics, a deep friendship, and immense patriotism.  I imagine them wandering the city together looking for the leaders they knew, anxious and stunned about all that was happening around them.  In searching the Palais-Bourbon they found one lone clerk, still at his desk, otherwise, utter silence reigned.

On 15 June 1940 Blum and Dormoy arrived in Bordeaux where the rest of the government had fled and the two met up with Georges Mandel.  Here Blum and Dormoy learned of an armistice---a betrayal they rejected.  On 10 July Blum and Dormoy were two of the eighty senators who refused to vote Marshall Philippe Petain full dictatorial powers.  These 80 stood in opposition to the 569 senators who voted the Third Republic out of existence and the 17 who abstained.  On 15 September 1940 Blum was arrested on the grounds that he threatened the state; Dormoy's arrest came ten days later.