His Last Hope… “The Blockade” Anti-British propaganda poster featuring Winston Churchill looming above a mother and child

Anti-British propaganda poster showing a hungry, pregnant mother and child in France while Winston Churchill stands idly by. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. In response Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. Germany invaded France in May 1940. In June, Marshal Henri Phillippe Petain signed an armistice which gave the Germans control of northern and western France, including Paris. The Germans used the industrial and agricultural areas of the occupied zone to produce goods primarily for Germany and the war effort, with the remainder going to the French public. In response to the French armistice, Britain began a blockade against France. The combination of the blockade and the priority production of goods for Germany, prompted France to institute strict rationing which left many people hungry and suffering. Many French people blamed the British blockade rather than the German occupational policies for their situation and German propaganda was quick to capitalize on their resentment.