The Empire — Vichy or de Gaulle

After the armistice, the vast French colonial empire — North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, the Levant, Indochina, the West Indies, the Pacific — becomes a major stake. Having remained outside the occupation, it commands territories, resources, ports and troops. Its loyalty will be split between the legal government at Vichy and de Gaulle's Free France.

For you, the dilemma is that of every colonial administrator in the summer of 1940. To follow Vichy, the legal authority born of the armistice, out of discipline and legalism, by maintaining the established order. To rally to de Gaulle and Free France in order to continue the war, at the cost of breaking with legality and risking reprisals. Or to play for time, waiting to see how events turn and what position the neighbouring territories take.

The stakes go beyond any single territory: with the bulk of the empire remaining with Vichy, the Pétain regime would gain weight and resources; rallying to de Gaulle would instead build the foundation of Fighting France. The fate of the empire determines the credibility of both camps.