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Partisans, Godmothers, Bicyclists, And Other Terrorists: Women In The French Resistance And Under Vichy, Rayna Kline

Dissertations and Theses

During the years 1940-1944, the period of the German Occupation, French women played an active role in the political sphere as part of the organized Resistance movements. The women who participated were not isolated examples, but an extremely diverse group that cut across social milieux, political alignments and religious persuasions. The range of their activity in the spectrum of roles and the differences in their style challenge the stereotypes and persistent attitudes in French culture about women’s nature.

Women were leaders in the principal Resistance movements, participated in the organization and dissemination of the underground press and in the organization …