the reformist Popular Front government, which took office in 1936 and was led by Léon Blum, a Jewish socialist, in apocalyptic terms, describing it as Stalinist. The slogan “Better Hitler than Blum” became popular on the right. French conservatives had traditionally defined themselves as nationalists, and many of them loathed Germany. But by 1940, their fear of communism, Soviet infiltration, and social change at home had led them to acquiesce to the Nazis.
