It should be noted, that Petain was not "appointed" by the Germans. He was given extraordonary powers by the French parliament without any direct German involvement.
I doubt that he would have been the Germans favoured choice for a French leader.
He played into the Germans hands, by persecuting the French left and thereby dividing the country, but he allways disliked the occupiers (not because they were nazis, but because they were German and they were occupiers) and only collaborated out of pragmatism.
Petains unwillingness to cooperated on a number of issues later led the Germans to occupy Southern France and force Petain to transfer power to Laval and other subordinates.
The Germans nevertheless accepted him as French leader because they needed an "legitimate" French goverment to keep French colonies and armed forces from joining the British.
For the same reason they would probably have (initally) accepted any non-socialist French goverment willing to collaborate.
I doubt that he would have been the Germans favoured choice for a French leader.
He played into the Germans hands, by persecuting the French left and thereby dividing the country, but he allways disliked the occupiers (not because they were nazis, but because they were German and they were occupiers) and only collaborated out of pragmatism.
Petains unwillingness to cooperated on a number of issues later led the Germans to occupy Southern France and force Petain to transfer power to Laval and other subordinates.
The Germans nevertheless accepted him as French leader because they needed an "legitimate" French goverment to keep French colonies and armed forces from joining the British.
For the same reason they would probably have (initally) accepted any non-socialist French goverment willing to collaborate.