The French Resistance
Robert Pike
- Regions:
- Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Hereford, West Mids, Staffordshire, Shropshire, South East, South West, East of England, London, East Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber, North West, North East, Wales
- Notice Period:
- Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
- Type:
- Professional
- Fee:
- Paid: From £65 plus expenses
- Category:
- History
- Updated:
- 25th November 2024
- Tagged:
- French Resistance | Ww2 | France | Second World War
On 18 June 1940, having seen his country's defences crumble, Charles de Gaulle made a call from London for Frenchmen to carry on the fight. Few people heard, and even fewer acted. Meanwhile in France small groups emerged, and slowly but surely links with London were established. But was this what Churchill, Roosevelt and the Allied command wanted? How did it differ from what De Gaulle was calling for? The French Resistance was an internal response to a country's humiliation, and could do nothing without the support of London. In this talk we look at the complexity of the French Resistance, in its very many guises. We consider how it was feted after liberation as something far grander and more crucial in victory than it ever was. We discover how our new approaches to the concept of Resistance has changed our perception of how the French responded, and give a fresh view of how occupied societies rebel.
Views: 56 | Enquiries: 0About Robert Pike
I have authored two books about the Second World War and the occupation in France. Defying Vichy: Blood, Fear and French Resistance (The History Press, 2018) and Silent Village: The Life and Death of Oradour-sur-Glane ( The History Press, 2021) published in French as Oradour s'est tu: Le destin tragique d'un village français 10 juin 1944 (Flammarion,2024) . I gained an ESRC-funded MSc at Cardiff in 2021 with a dissertation titled 'From pragmatism to protection: How and why were anti-Semitic narratives contested in a semi-rural region of Vichy France?'. I have written articles for History Today and BBC Magazine, contributed to others in The Telegraph and The Daily Mail (UK), and The Washington Post and New York Times (US). My work on Oradour-sur-Glane has led to television appearances on France 2 and M6. I have given conferences in Limoges and Oradour-sur-Glane, and many venues in the UK including the Gloucester History Festival. I have also contributed papers to conferences about resistance at Oxford University and Cardiff University. www.robertpike.co.uk
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