Leadership Quote by Pierre Laval

Coercion rarely announces itself as coercion; it prefers a costume. Laval’s line is propaganda in its most brazen form: a forced-labor program repackaged as moral duty. Addressing “Workers of France” gives the appeal a populist sheen, as if the collaborationist Vichy state is still speaking for ordinary people rather than managing them. The pivot is the word “freedom” - not yours, but “the prisoners’.” He offers a hostage’s hope as the sweetener for sending French labor to Germany, turning a cruel bargain into a kind of rescue mission.

The context is Vichy France under Nazi domination, especially the push toward labor requisition and, soon, the STO (Service du travail obligatoire). Germany needed workers; Vichy needed to prove usefulness to its occupier while tamping down domestic anger. Laval’s intent is to normalize submission: make departure seem voluntary, even honorable, by tying it to “our country.” The phrase “in large numbers” drops the mask. This isn’t an invitation; it’s a quota.

The subtext is transactional patriotism. France is invoked not as a sovereign nation but as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Reich. Laval frames collaboration as pragmatic sacrifice, implying that compliance is the quickest path to relief. It’s also a preemptive scolding: if you refuse, you’re not merely resisting Germany; you’re betraying French prisoners and the nation itself.

The rhetoric works by relocating guilt. The state’s complicity disappears; the worker becomes the agent responsible for saving captives and “serving” France, even as he is exported to fuel the enemy’s war machine.