CIAO DATE: 04/2009
December 2008
Danish Institute for International Studies
Sarkozy and the Vichy-syndrome
In early 2008 the French president hit the global media scene with his proposal on Holocaust education for every French child from the age of 10. But, France has for more than a decade been one of the leading countries in Holocaust education, so the suggestion was not that surprising. In fact, Sarkozy is just doing what many European heads of states before him, namely include the Holocaust as an important symbolic reference in his own politics, which signifies how important Holocaust memory has become in present political cultures.
Resource link: Sarkozy og Vichy-syndromet [PDF] - 205K