The French Resistance

"Whatever happens, the flame of French resistance must not and will not go out." As Charles de Gaulle ended his radio address to the French nation in June 1940, listeners must have felt a surge of patriotism tinged with uncertainty. Who would keep the flame burning through dark years of occupation? At what cost? Olivier Wieviorka presents a comprehensive history of the French Resistance, synthesizing its social, political, and military aspects to offer fresh insights into its operation. Detailing the Resistance from the inside out, he reveals not one organization but many interlocking groups often at odds over goals, methods, and leadership. He debunks lingering myths, including the idea that the Resistance sprang up in response to the exhortations of de Gaulle's Free French government-in-exile. The Resistance was homegrown, arising from the soil of French civil society. Resisters had to improvise in the fight against the Nazis and the collaborationist Vichy regime. They had no blueprint to follow, but resisters from all walks of life and across the political spectrum formed networks, organizing activities from printing newspapers to rescuing downed airmen to sabotage. Although the Resistance was never strong enough to fight the Germans openly, it provided the Allies invaluable intelligence, sowed havoc behind enemy lines on D-Day, and played a key role in Paris's liberation. Wieviorka shatters the conventional image of a united resistance with no interest in political power. But setting the record straight does not tarnish the legacy of its fighters, who braved Nazism without blinking. Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Abbreviations 10 Introduction 16 Chapter 1. The Call 22 Chapter 2. Parties and Labor Unions 45 Chapter 3. Birth of the Movements 70 Chapter 4. Engagement 103 Chapter 5. Game Change 135 Chapter 6. Rallying behind de Gaulle 178 Chapter 7. Fighting the Same Battle? 202 Chapter 8. Responses to Persecution of the Jews 222 Chapter 9. The Internal Resistance in 1943 236 Chapter 10. The Long Road to Unity 267 Chapter 11. Caluire and Its Repercussions 286 Chapter 12. Power Struggles in Algiers and Their Consequences 311 Chapter 13. In Order of Battle 338 Chapter 14. Formez vos Bataillons! 367 Chapter 15. Social Components 400 Chapter 16. The Repression 429 Chapter 17. Incomplete Victory 454 Chapter 18. A Divided Memory 470 Conclusion 482 Notes 488 Chronology 548 Selected Bibliography 558 Acknowledgments 568 Index 570 The call Parties and labor unions Birth of the movements Engagement Game change Working together, rallying behind de Gaulle Fighting the same battle? Responses to persecution of the Jews The internal resistance in 1943 The long road to unity Caluire and its repercussions Power struggles in Algiers and their consequences In order of battle Formez vos bataillons! Social components The repression Incomplete victory A divided memory.

Olivier Wieviorka's history of the French Resistance debunks lingering myths and offers fresh insight into social, political, and military aspects of its operation. He reveals not one but many interlocking homegrown groups often at odds over goals, methods, and leadership. Yet, despite a lack of unity, these fighters braved Nazism without blinking.