The Ordre Des Medecins and the Jews in Vichy France, 1940–1944

摘要

This paper examines the way in which the Jewish question was handled by the Ordre des Médecins, a representative institution for the medical profession created by the Vichy government. It discusses the historiography of Vichy anti-Semitism generally and goes on to analyze the background of anti-Semitism in the French medical profession in the 1930s, comparing it with anti-Semitism in other professions such as Law. The paper then discusses the reactions of the Ordre des Médecins and its governing body, the Conseil Supérieur, to the Vichy anti-Semitic legislation which affected the profession and compares its brand of anti-Semitism with the official Vichy policy. It focuses on the unequal battle between the Conseil Supérieur, whose members were typically traditional nationalistic and protectionist anti-Semites, and the Vichy government, where quasi-racial anti-Semitism was official policy. It explains the inevitable defeat of the Conseil Supérieur.