Marianne in chains
Subtitle: in search of the German occupation, 1940-1945
By: Robert Gildea.
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2002
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 524
Subjects: World War, 1939-1945 -- France.; France -- History -- German occupation, 1940-1945.; France -- Social conditions -- 20th century.
Description: "For the last fifty years, the German Occupation of France has been regarded as a period characterized by four things: cold, hunger, the absence of freedom and, above all, fear; a time when the indigenous population was cruelly and consistently oppressed by the army of occupation. The people of France were either bold members of the Resistance or craven collaborators. In this riveting and provocative study, Robert Gildea reveals a rather different story, a story which shows that the truth lies - as so often - somewhere in between." "Marianne in Chains begins by focusing on one small town in la France profonde with fewer than six thousand souls: picturesque and historic Chinon. Behind the beautiful facade a world of faction and intrigue, rivalry and treachery, highlighted by the unusual circumstances of the Occupation, is explored. The lens then widens to take in the Loire valley as a whole, offering a wide cross-section of communities in which the challenges of the Occupation can be explored: displacement and absence, work and play, physical and spiritual needs, and concentric circles of conflicting loyalties." "Drawing on detailed research in recently released wartime archives, extensive interviews with men and women who lived through it, and a deep understanding of French provincial society, Gildea draws a vivid - and often controversial - picture of France under the Occupation. What emerges is a country in a state of shock yet one whose people, far from being cowed, contrived to form new relationships, new networks, and discovered new forms of solidarity, and that what is most striking about the French under the Occupation is not how heroic or villainous they were but how imaginative, creative and resourceful they were in pursuit of a better life, and of survival."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 489-507) and index.