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[[File:Petain-5-sized.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Henri Petain]]
 
[[File:Petain-5-sized.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Henri Petain]]
'''Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain''' (1856 - 1951), more commonly known as '''Phillippe Pétain''', is best known for being both a military and political leader for [[France]] and for his heroic actions in [[World War I]].  He commanded the defense at the [[Battle of Verdun]] in 1916, and became chief of staff in 1917.  He is also viewed as a traitor for heading the [[Vichy France|Vichy]] government in France during [[World War II]] after France had been overrun by the [[Nazis]].  When France fell to the Nazis in June 1940, Petain was ambassador to [[Spain]] and already well past his 80th birthday, but was recalled to negotiate an armistice for his defeated country, which he then led until the end of [[World War II]].  While the allies were careful not to publicly upset the Vichy government during the war, as the war came closer to its conclusion and [[Charles de Gaulle]] had gained greatly in notoriety while in exile, the allied position switched to publicly support de Gaulle and his [[Free French]].  After the war, when the Nazis had been defeated and France was restored, Petain was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment.   
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'''Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain''' (1856 - 1951), more commonly known as '''Philippe Pétain''', is best known for being both a military and political leader for [[France]] and for his heroic actions in [[World War I]].  He commanded the defense at the [[Battle of Verdun]] in 1916, and became chief of staff in 1917.  He is also viewed as a traitor for heading the [[Vichy France|Vichy]] government in France during [[World War II]] after France had been overrun by the [[Nazis]].  When France fell to the Nazis in June 1940, Petain was ambassador to [[Spain]] and already well past his 80th birthday, but was recalled to negotiate an armistice for his defeated country, which he then led until the end of [[World War II]].  While the allies were careful not to publicly upset the Vichy government during the war, as the war came closer to its conclusion and [[Charles de Gaulle]] had gained greatly in notoriety while in exile, the allied position switched to publicly support de Gaulle and his [[Free French]].  After the war, when the Nazis had been defeated and France was restored, Petain was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment.   
    
==Sources==
 
==Sources==
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