REsist!
The Beginnings of Resistance
France had been battling Germany for six weeks, taking heavy losses, when Marshall Petain announced that he would sign an armistice with Germany. In response, General Charles de Gaulle, who was exiled from France, took to British radio to inspire the French people to fight back against oppressors. "Honour, common sense, and the interests of the country require that all free Frenchmen, wherever they be, should continue the fight as best they may," De Gaulle said in his famous Appeal of June 18th address. When Marshall Petain surrendered France to the Germans on 22 June 1940, the first question on many minds was what to do next. Some people immediately started guerrilla warfare on the Germans (the maquisards, see Annotations). Others started more underground campaigns. By the end of 1940 there were six underground newspapers circulating in France, stirring up anti-German fervor. These newspapers spread encoded news from London and reminded the French not to submit to oppression. However, resistance was relatively disorganized until mid-1941. |
Paris in those years was “a city where many, many young and middle-aged men were in prison, concentration camps, in hiding, or in the underground,” so almost by default the Resistance became in significant measure a movement of the young and of women and girls, without whom “the Parisian resistance, no matter its ideology, could not have been as successful as it was.”
|
Communists
France's communist party was founded in 1920 after a number of Marxists split from the larger French Worker's International Party. One of the reasons for the split was that the French Worker's Party wouldn't join with The Communist International (Comintern) party, which was founded by Lenin. Lenin died in 1924 and was replaced by Joseph Stalin, who would become one of the most famous dictators of all time.
Communists were not highly regarded in France. They were perceived as putting the needs of the party before the needs of France (though they were largely concerned with fighting fascism and actually tended to protect the French interest), and unlike many socialist movements did not hesitate to use force. French Communists:
The Communist movement went underground. When France fell, the Communists continued publishing and distributing subversive newsletters, but largely favored a stance of non-aggression and non-involvement with the Nazis. From a French communist's perspective, an armed struggle that simply returned the previous French regime was not worth fighting for, so they largely steered clear of involvement.
They did openly show disdain for Petain and the Vichy. The Communist newsletter L'Humanite was one of the few publications to denounce Vichy for its anti-Semitism, which it did in October 1940.
In summer 1941, the Germans invaded the USSR, and the Communist approach completely changed. On June 25, 1941, French communist party leader Thorez urged both collaboration and contact with Gaullist resistance on the basis of national liberation. He asked communists to promote their resistance as a "war against Fascist aggression" to gain wider support among the populace.
Ways to Resist
France's communist party was founded in 1920 after a number of Marxists split from the larger French Worker's International Party. One of the reasons for the split was that the French Worker's Party wouldn't join with The Communist International (Comintern) party, which was founded by Lenin. Lenin died in 1924 and was replaced by Joseph Stalin, who would become one of the most famous dictators of all time.
Communists were not highly regarded in France. They were perceived as putting the needs of the party before the needs of France (though they were largely concerned with fighting fascism and actually tended to protect the French interest), and unlike many socialist movements did not hesitate to use force. French Communists:
- Followed the orders of Comintern, as communicated by leader Maurice Thorez
- Published subversive newspapers (e.g. L'Humanite)
- Had a network of safe houses in case a member of the party needed to be smuggled in or out of the country
- Acted in many ways like spies (false passports, hidden pockets in clothing, etc)
The Communist movement went underground. When France fell, the Communists continued publishing and distributing subversive newsletters, but largely favored a stance of non-aggression and non-involvement with the Nazis. From a French communist's perspective, an armed struggle that simply returned the previous French regime was not worth fighting for, so they largely steered clear of involvement.
They did openly show disdain for Petain and the Vichy. The Communist newsletter L'Humanite was one of the few publications to denounce Vichy for its anti-Semitism, which it did in October 1940.
In summer 1941, the Germans invaded the USSR, and the Communist approach completely changed. On June 25, 1941, French communist party leader Thorez urged both collaboration and contact with Gaullist resistance on the basis of national liberation. He asked communists to promote their resistance as a "war against Fascist aggression" to gain wider support among the populace.
Ways to Resist
- The Writing and Distribution of Rebellious Literature. The Nazis employed propaganda as an important demoralization tactic. The BBC (Ici Londres) would convey news from the Allies about how the war was really going, giving hope and instructions to the French people. By 1940, these newspapers conveyed information to French saboteurs about what to blow up or the location of a dead drop - extremely vital information for the Resistance.
- Sabotage. This was the most popular form of active resistance. People could slash Nazi officials' tires, scratch a "V" into a place other Frenchpeople could see it, or even blow up bridges and railways. One group of French and Spanish communists, (the infamous Spanish Maquis) was credited with the destruction of over four hundred railways, fifty-eight locomotives, thirty-five railway bridges, and fifty telephone lines.
- Espionage. Anyone could spy. You didn't need to be James Bond to get useful information to the Allies - simply being a custodian or waiter in a place Nazis frequented could mean you overheard things that could help France resist.
- Smuggling. This could mean everything from arms to explosives to people. The French developed an 'underground railroad' of sorts to get people and goods in and out of the country. They communicated exclusively in code and on a need-to-know basis.
- Military Action. The best example of this type of resistance are the Maquisards, a guerrilla band of French fighters who would use their mobility and knowledge of the French countryside to attack Nazi troops.