War of Words argues that the conflicts that erupted over French colonial territory between 1940 and 1945 are central to understanding British, Vichy and Free French policy-making throughout the war. By analysing the rhetoric that surrounded these clashes, Rachel Chin demonstrates that imperial holdings were valued as more than material and strategic resources. They were formidable symbols of power, prestige and national legitimacy. She shows that having and holding imperial territory was at the core of competing Vichy and Free French claims to represent the true French nation and that opposing images of Franco-British cooperation and rivalry were at the heart of these arguments. The selected case studies show how British-Vichy-Free French relations evolved throughout the war and demonstrate that the French colonial empire played a decisive role in these shifts.

‘War of Words innovatively analyzes the powerful role played by rhetoric in the strained relations between Britain and France during World War II. As the Free French, Britain, and Vichy clashed over questions of empire, each mounted a public defense of their actions that in turn constrained their policy making.'

Alice L. Conklin - Ohio State University

‘This book is an elegantly written and remarkably well-informed tour de force. Chin subtly and lucidly revisits French dark years through the prism of the rhetoric that underpinned Franco-British imperial rivalry. She also provides a salutary entry into post-war intersecting tumultuous decolonization processes against the backdrop of rising US influence. A must-read.'

Guillaume Piketty - Science Po Paris

‘Based on extensive research, Chin offers a nuanced and fascinating new examination of Franco-British relations during the Second World War. War of Words presents a compelling analysis of how empire lay at the heart of a symbolic contestation in which political rhetoric shaped the course of Franco-British rivalry and cooperation.'

Karine Varley - University of Strathclyde