What happened to the French Concession in Shanghai after France surrendered to Germany in WWII? After France surrendered to Germany in June 1940 during World War II, the French Concession in Shanghai experienced significant changes. The concession, a foreign enclave in the city, was influenced by the broader geopolitical shifts of the time.
Japanese Occupation:
Following the fall of France to Germany, the Vichy government, which collaborated with Nazi Germany, took control of French overseas territories. However, in East Asia, the Japanese, already occupying parts of China and exerting influence in the region, took advantage of the situation. The Japanese forces moved to occupy the French Concession in Shanghai, effectively taking control of the area. Although they did not formally annex the concession, they exerted significant influence and control over it.
End of the Concession System:
The French Concession, like other foreign concessions in Shanghai, was affected by the changing tides of the war and the growing nationalist movements in China. After Japan’s defeat in 1945 and the end of World War II, the control and governance of the French Concession became untenable. The Chinese Nationalist government, under Chiang Kai-shek, eventually took over the administration of the foreign concessions, including the French Concession, integrating them into the broader governance of Shanghai and ending the extraterritorial privileges that had existed.
Thus, the French Concession in Shanghai ceased to exist as a foreign-controlled entity after World War II, becoming part of the newly unified and sovereign Chinese state.
