# Dunkirk evacuation (1940)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1940-dunkirk-evacuation
Location: Dunkirk
Categories: battle

Allied troops were evacuated across the Channel as German forces advanced through northern France. Within the broader Occupation, Liberation & Fourth Republic period, Defeat in 1940 divided France between Vichy, occupation and resistance. Liberation restored republican government, followed by reconstruction, welfare-state building, European integration and violent decolonization under the Fourth Republic. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Albert Lebrun (President of the French Republic). Dunkirk evacuation mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Dunkirk evacuation mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed.

Ruler at the time: [Charles de Gaulle](https://history-france.com/rulers/charles-de-gaulle-1940)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Dunkirk evacuation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Dunkirk+evacuation&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Dunkirk evacuation](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Dunkirk+evacuation)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)