Pétain, Henri-Philippe

Chief of State of Vichy France (July 1940-August 1944) following the surrender of France to Nazi Germany. Pétain signed agreements with Germany and Italy and implemented anti-Jewish legislation in Vichy France. Under his leadership, the Vichy regime collaborated with the Nazis, establishing internment camps for Jews living in France and deporting them to killing centers in Poland. Petain was tried for treason after the war, convicted, and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the new president of France, Charles De Gaulle.