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Divine Punishment and Decadence

  • Richard CarswellEmail author
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Abstract

This chapter describes how the concepts of divine punishment and decadence have been used to explain the fall of France, from the first days of the disaster to the present day. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church, which in the main supported the Vichy regime, was quick to ascribe France’s collapse to the country’s past sinfulness. But not all Catholics accepted this interpretation, one which did not survive the war. Much more widespread and long-lasting has been the theme of decadence, even though its meanings are  multifarious, amorphous and often difficult to grasp.

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© The Author(s) 2019

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.RichmondUK

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