Why did Paris survive
During World War II Paris was conquered and occupied by German forces who used Paris hotels as their headquarters. . The liberation of Paris was of major interest to the American war effort. Very few people even know that Hitler ordered General von Choltitz to destroy all Parisian monuments before any German retreat, which he did not do, probably because he could not stand to have the world lose the beautiful art in those monuments. Paris was lucky that the train stations were terminal station’s and that its major factories were located in the suburbs. This probably more than anything else allowed Paris to survive the potential devastation of that war.