About the book: 2022 / Philippe Petain (1856-1951) is one of the most controversial and controversial figures in French history of the 20th century. Peasant son who became Marshal of France; hero of the First World War, “winner of the Battle of Verdun”, idol of the French, Commander-in-Chief in the interwar period. After the crushing defeat of France in 1940, Petain was called to power and during the Second World War he led the French state, concluding a truce with Nazi Germany. After the war, he was declared a traitor and collaborator and sentenced to death, commuted to life imprisonment. Until now, controversy surrounding this historical figure has not subsided in France. Some consider him a traitor, others - the savior of France. The author of the book sets out his view on this problem. A book by Moscow historian A.N. Burlakova is the first study in our country dedicated to the tragic fate of Marshal Petain against the backdrop of the turbulent events of French history at the end of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. The biography was written based on the study of a large number of historical sources and scientific literature. The book, for the first time in Russian, presents many of the most important documents of the era related to the life and work of Philippe Pétain.