France during the German Occupation was divided into two zones, the northern two/thirds, directly occupied by German troops, and the southern zone, which remained until 1942 an independent French state. However France, divided more than physically, can also be broken down into three groups, the Collaborators and the Resisters, who responded actively to the Occupation, and Passive France, the large majority of French people who allowed events to run their course without attempting actively to shape them.
This thesis, rather than a history of France from 1940 through 1944, will examine these three categories of response to the occupation. Why did some collaborate, some resist, and the majority remain passive? What role did the prewar period play in furthering this division of France? Were there general attitudes about France and her relationship to Germany and to the Allies that characterized each group as a whole? What ideas about the political, social, and economic future of France motivated each group? Finally, what was the significance of the choices each group made for themselves and for France?
","abstract_html":"<p>France during the German Occupation was divided into two zones, the northern two/thirds, directly occupied by German troops, and the southern zone, which remained until 1942 an independent French state. However France, divided more than physically, can also be broken down into three groups, the Collaborators and the Resisters, who responded actively to the Occupation, and Passive France, the large majority of French people who allowed events to run their course without attempting actively to shape them.</p> <p>This thesis, rather than a history of France from 1940 through 1944, will examine these three categories of response to the occupation. Why did some collaborate, some resist, and the majority remain passive? What role did the prewar period play in furthering this division of France? Were there general attitudes about France and her relationship to Germany and to the Allies that characterized each group as a whole? What ideas about the political, social, and economic future of France motivated each group? Finally, what was the significance of the choices each group made for themselves and for France?</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Fishman, Sarah"],"institution":"Oberlin College Honors Theses","degree_name":"BA","degree_level":"bachelors","degree_discipline":"History","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Soucy, Robert"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1979,"date_issued":"1979","date_published":"1979","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:36:39Z","subjects":["History","Military History","European History","France"],"languages":["English"],"rights":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1363363334","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Soucy, Robert"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Fishman, Sarah"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["1979"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Oberlin College Honors Theses / OhioLINK"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["History"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["bachelors"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["BA"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Oberlin College Honors Theses"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["History","Military History","European History","France"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1363363334"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["France during the German Occupation was divided into two zones, the northern two/thirds, directly occupied by German troops, and the southern zone, which remained until 1942 an independent French state. However France, divided more than physically, can also be broken down into three groups, the Collaborators and the Resisters, who responded actively to the Occupation, and Passive France, the large majority of French people who allowed events to run their course without attempting actively to shape them.
This thesis, rather than a history of France from 1940 through 1944, will examine these three categories of response to the occupation. Why did some collaborate, some resist, and the majority remain passive? What role did the prewar period play in furthering this division of France? Were there general attitudes about France and her relationship to Germany and to the Allies that characterized each group as a whole? What ideas about the political, social, and economic future of France motivated each group? Finally, what was the significance of the choices each group made for themselves and for France?
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This thesis, rather than a history of France from 1940 through 1944, will examine these three categories of response to the occupation. Why did some collaborate, some resist, and the majority remain passive? What role did the prewar period play in furthering this division of France? Were there general attitudes about France and her relationship to Germany and to the Allies that characterized each group as a whole? What ideas about the political, social, and economic future of France motivated each group? Finally, what was the significance of the choices each group made for themselves and for France?
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf","p.96","37.58 MB"],"dc:identifier":["http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1363363334"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:publisher":["Oberlin College Honors Theses / OhioLINK"],"dc:rights":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."],"dc:subject":["History","Military History","European History","France"],"dc:title":["The Three Frances: 1940-1944"],"dc:type":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["History"],"thesis:degree_level":["bachelors"],"thesis:degree_name":["BA"],"thesis:institution_name":["Oberlin College Honors Theses"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:36:39Z"}