Closing the Door: The French Government and Refugee Policy, 1933-1939

Abstract

Throughout much of the interwar period, France was Europe's foremost nation of asylum, promising protection, adequate living conditions, and, best of all, steady work to thousands of international political refugees.1 In fact, the issue of civilians in search of refuge was recognized as commonplace by the French long before the twentieth century. The past, however, offered no preparation for the extent of the refugee problem during the 1930s, when thousands of Europeans were forced to leave their homes. Indeed, by spring 1938, French generosity soured in the face of the ever increasing numbers of refugees, the continuing economic depression, and the threat of war with Nazi Germany and its allies. The admitted refugees became scapegoats for the economic troubles of the country, and their political loyalties also became suspect. Consequently, the French government turned to a policy of strict refugee control. The complex circumstances underlying the development of the French government's restrictive refugee policy have not been the focus of scholarly energy and debate. Relatively little attention has