As the threat of war began to loom in the 1930s, an elaborate system of fortifications sprung up in northeastern France. Known as the Maginot line, this string of defences was designed to protect the nation in the event of an invasion by Nazi Germany. So, when Hitler's forces did invade, how much blame should the Maginot Line shoulder for the fall of France in double-quick time? That's a question that's troubled historians ever since the traumatic events of 1940. In conversation with Spencer Mizen, Kevin Passmore explores why the line has become a symbol of a nation's collective failure to face the challenges of the modern world

(Ad) Kevin Passmore is the author of The Maginot Line: A New History (Yale). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maginot-Line-New-History/dp/0300277040/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.aVgiucnHhsw8GtAN2IzrEswaM0EX3Dy8QpYSeLwhTOy7Z6m9IAKx54zspipA7_H7bCgN_FQUJr_zpW6dysMfypNtq01K4XLgkRG5-oZ8lqxJoeQmvIW_BgycqfLfg1ElWJm_NSVviLxLMW9BcfqGHRT8r0y_2BRCo4y-9WYWcaCRwpna3Ug5BAHAF-WV-t4FhpkfSmn3JsV8yZ6UXNUxBU4o0-mYIcgtNirSGF4pM5s.EMrngOGJ3WE8YDMfngnbIDj3xMLcHYdUUBhmLYgf-g4&dib_tag=se&qid=1752843122&refinements=p_27%3AKevin+Passmore&s=books&sr=1-3&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

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