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When Paris was liberated in August 1944, a comfortable myth settled over the city. General Charles de Gaulle proclaimed that France had liberated itself, implying a nation united in resistance against the German occupier. It was a necessary lie to prevent a bloodbath, but it buried a darker truth: for four years, France had been at war with itself. In this week’s podcast, I explored the painful history of collaboration and resistance in France, drawing on the work of Max Hastings and the late Tony Judt. The reality is that the occupation was not just a foreign imposition; it was…