Through the prism of history textbooks, the two sides of World War II seem black and white, the Allies and the Axis Powers.But did you know that for most of the Second World War, one of the biggest Allies, France was actually ruled by a government that collaborated with Adolf Hitler instead of fighting him? France was ruled by a fascist Vichy government and was brought down by the members of the French Resistance.Let’s explore some more French Resistance facts that helped France become a part of the glorious Allied armies.After the Battle of France with Germany in 1940, most of western France was occupied by German forces. Marshal Philippe Pétain became the Prime Minister of France. He signed an armistice with Germany to maintain some level of autonomy for the French people from the German occupation. Eastern France was free from the German occupiers and was therefore called ‘Free France’. Vichy was the central administrative city of France at that time, as the national capital, Paris was under the control of Nazi Germany, the fascist organization.But the Vichy government collaborated with the ideologies of Nazi Germany and was authoritarian, anti-Jewish, discriminatory against non-Catholics and other religious and racial groups, and corporatist. Marshal Philippe became a dictator in his own way and made French citizens’ lives hard and fearful.The French Resistance Movement began in defiance of the Vichy Government in 1940. The Resistance members were from all walks of life: French men, women, students, Protestants, Muslims, Jews, communists, and even aristocrats. The Resistance fighters killed German soldiers, acquired secret information about the Nazi Army and provided it to the Allies, published underground secret newspapers spreading anti-Nazi propaganda, helped the Allies Army’s soldiers stuck in Nazi-occupied France, and committed other acts of sabotage against the German Army and its supporter, the Vichy government. Charles de Gaulle, a French army officer, was a strong supporter of the French Resistance and paved the political path for Free France.About 90,000 resistance fighters were killed during this period, but their sacrifice did not go in vain. They died helping their country bring down the fascist Vichy organization and enabled the Allied Troops to foil the Nazi occupation of France and collectively defeat Hitler in 1945.When the Resistance killed a German officer, the German defenses would kill numerous civilians for every German killed. Read on to know more about the bravery of the Allied Forces and Royal Air Force during the war. Afterward, also check facts about French-speaking countries and French Polynesia facts.Importance Of French ResistanceWhat would have happened if the Vichy government continued to exist and provide soldiers to the German occupiers in France? The Allied Forces would never have been able to enter France or win against Nazi Germany in Europe.This is where French Resistance became crucial; not just for France’s national liberation, but also for the end of World War II. The Resistance Movement in France began in small groups. Men, women, and students belonging to all forms of religious, political, and racial backgrounds began protesting against the Vichy government’s anti-liberal rules in their localities and killing German soldiers for their atrocities. Gradually, the Vichy government began losing its former state of power over the people.As Charles de Gaulle’s idea of a Free French State began to spread, the Resistance groups gained in strength. They collected confidential data on the strategies of the Nazi Army and supplied it to the Allies across continental Europe. The Resistance members also helped the Allied soldiers stuck in Nazi-occupied regions of France. In return, the Allied Armies helped the Resistance fighters by providing them arms and ammunition for a proper Armed Resistance against the Vichy government.The military intelligence provided by the French Resistance helped the Allied Troops win the historic Battle of Normandy and enter France. As the Vichy government collapsed in France, De Gaulle appealed to all unarmed and armed men in France to join the Free French Army and fight alongside the Allies in Europe to triumph over Hitler’s Nazi Army.Nazi InvolvementThe Vichy government that ruled France between 1940 and 1944 is often called a ‘collaborationist’ government. After signing the armistice with Germany in 1940, the Vichy government gave up more than half of France to Nazi occupation.Following the ideologies of Nazism and Adolf Hitler, the French Prime Minister Philippe Pétain began executing people who were considered ‘undesirables’: the Jews, Romanis, communists, homosexuals, and all foreigners considered as illegal immigrants. The Catholic Church was given supreme importance and Protestants were executed too. Those who were not executed were sent to concentration camps. The Vichy government also provided the Nazi Occupiers with soldiers for the German defense lines.Young boys and men from small French villagers were taken forcefully to enroll in the Nazi Army. If any German officer was found murdered by the Resistance members, the German soldiers killed groups of innocent civilians to set an example and spread terror among the French people. The Vichy government did nothing against the atrocities inflicted upon the poor people by Nazis and continued killing their own citizens who were considered undesirables in society.After the war came to an end, the Resistance executed the collaborators of the Nazi forces which amounted to around 9,000 individuals.Famous Resistance MovementsDuring the Second World War, Resistance movements occurred in all nations that were occupied by Nazi forces. Sometimes these Resistance movements were carried out by secretly spreading anti-fascist propaganda and sometimes they resulted in violent armed battles.The Polish Movement is one of the most famous resistance movements in World War II. It was led by the Polish Home Army. They destroyed German supply lines in Polish areas occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union. 43% of all military intelligence received by the Allies from Europe came from Poland. The Polish Home army saved more Jewish lives in Europe during the Holocaust than any Allied Force.Although Italy was a part of the Axis Forces that supported Nazi Germany, there were Italian Resistance groups too. The largest Resistance group in Italy was La Resistenza and was highly anti-fascist. Naples was one of the most resistant cities to fascist rule. The local people engaged in continuous warfare with the Nazi armies for four days to liberate the city of Naples.The Norwegian resistance movement occurred between 1940 and 1945. They opposed the fascist German government by asserting the legitimacy of the former government which was exiled. Along with civil disobedience, armed resistance was also carried out in parts of western and northern Norway.Cultural ShiftsFrance comprised various religious and ethnic communities such as the Jews, the Muslims, the Romanis, and Protestants. During the Vichy government’s regime, people of most cultural backgrounds except members of the Aryan race and Roman Catholics were either executed or sent to concentration camps.Amidst the Nazi occupation of Germany, most of these people faced the dilemma of fleeing the country to save their lives or staying in France till the end. Despite differing in race and religion most of them had lived in France for many years and were French not only by the language but also their mannerisms. Among them, there were many authors, poets, artists, and entertainers. Those who chose to stay in France tried to further expand French culture through their art to weaken the German stronghold in the country. Nonetheless, emigration from France increased rapidly between 1940-44.After the fall of the Vichy government, many French people described their struggles and horrors as the undesirables in their own homeland through books, poems, paintings, sculptures, and movies.Algeria was ruled by France as an overseas colony for more than a century. Similarly, East Africa was a colony of Germany till the First World War. The Algerians protested against the French rule on the basis of the lack of political and economical freedom available to them. East Africans resisted the slavery and racial injustice imposed on them by the German East Africa Company.The Algerians used active resistance to fight the French colonizers. They used guerilla warfare, arms, and physical violence to win independence for their country. They even went to the extent of torturing French officers. But the members of the East African Resistance weren’t as well equipped with arms and ammunition. They had self-made spears and arrows, that too in much less quantity than required for a large number of resistance fighters. They believed in spiritual defense and were confident that native magic would protect them, and that the bullets shot at them would turn to water.In 1877, Vietnam became a French colony under French Indochina which also included other Asian nations. Vietnam mourned the loss of its independence, as the French entirely westernized their traditional country.In the process of forcing western habits and lifestyles upon the Vietnamese people, many cultural Vietnamese practices and rituals were banned. The French also forced the native people to convert to Christianity. Furthermore, the quality of life declined for the Vietnamese people as the colonizers did not pay much attention to the healthcare and sanity of the people. The country witnessed regular plagues. The Vietnamese people also had to work in French mines and fields for an exhausting number of hours with minimal pay.Overall, a strong sense of nationalism rose among the people of Vietnam with time, and they began Resistance movements across the country. The leader of their Resistance movement was Ho Chi Minh. After the Second World War, France wanted to reclaim Vietnam. But the Vietnamese defeated the French army and its ally the United States of America, with the help of the Soviet Union and China, and established the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for French Resistance facts then why not take a look at French foreign legion facts, or French cinema facts.
Through the prism of history textbooks, the two sides of World War II seem black and white, the Allies and the Axis Powers.
