The Resistance in Western Europe, 1940–1945 (European Perspectives: A Series in Social Thought and Cultural Criticism)

In just three months in 1940, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France fell to the Nazis. The German occupation of Western Europe had begun—but a brave few rose up in defiance. National resistance has long been celebrated in remembrances of World War II, depicted as making significant contributions to the defeat of Nazi Germany. However, the so-called army of shadows drew heavily on the support of London and Washington, a fact often forgotten in postwar Europe. The Resistance in Western Europe , 1940–1945 is a sweeping analytical history of the underground anti-Nazi forces during World War II. Examining clandestine organizations in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Italy, Olivier Wieviorka sheds new light on the factors that shaped the resistance and its place in the grand scheme of Anglo-American military strategy. While national actors played a leading role in fomenting resistance, British and American intelligence services and propaganda as well as financial, material, and logistical support were crucial to its activities and growth. Wieviorka illuminates the policies of governments in exile and resistance actors regarding cooperation with the British and Americans, pointing to the persistence of national self-interest and long-standing historical tensions. Drawing on a wide range of archival sources and bringing together the political, diplomatic, and military dimensions of the conflict, this book is the first account of the resistance on a continental scale and from a trans-European perspective. "The resistance in Western Europe has long been considered a national phenomenon that provided a significant contribution, both politically and militarily, to Nazi defeat in World War II. But the so-called 'army of shadows' could never have risen without the support of London, first, and then of Washington. National factors thus played a preeminent part in the birth of the Resistance, while the British and Americans determined its growth. In 'A History of the Resistance in Western Europe, 1940-1945,' Olivier Wieviorka provides a trans-European history of the resistance--analyzing the actions of clandestine resistance forces in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Italy between 1940-1945, and figuring the role of the 'shadow soldiers' into the grand scheme of Anglo-American military strategy. Wieviorka illuminates the policies of governments in exile and the importance of finance, logistics, and British and American planning in defeating the Nazis. Drawing on archival documents and sources in English, Italian and Belgian, this account offers a welcome re-analysis of the place and role of national resistance movements--both unique in their own respect and their coordination when banded together."--Provided by publisher