Pétains was a bastard. This "description" of the leader of Vichy France is a bit brief, convenient and smug.
Pétain signed anti-Semitic decrees, had all governing bodies swear an oath of allegiance to him personally, turned a blind eye to hostages, was acclaimed by joyful crowds of frenchmen, enacted heinous laws, had frenchmen guillotined, and chose the distinctive Frankish battle-ax to be the emblem of his regime. And yet he had been granted full emergency powers by an elcted assembly.
These days, France is a democratic society with personal dictatorship, fascist excesses, and personal enrichment at the expense of the nation...