The Experience Of Occupation In The Nord, 1914-18: Living With The Enemy In First World War France Hardcover

James E. Connolly

This book is available as an open access ebook under a cc-by-nc-nd licence. Much of the french department of the nord was occupied during the first world war. This book considers the ways in which occupied locals responded to and understood their situation, focusing on key behaviours adopted by locals and the beliefs surrounding such conduct. Key topics examined include forms of complicity, disunity, criminality, resistance, and the memory of the occupation. This local case study calls into question overly-patriotic readings of this experience, and suggests a new conceptual vocabulary to help understand certain civilian behaviours under military occupation. Drawing on extensive primary documentation, this book proposes that a dominant 'occupied culture' existed among locals: a moral-patriotic framework, born of both pre-war socio-cultural norms and daily interaction with the enemy, that guided conduct and was especially concerned with what was considered acceptable and unacceptable behaviour

9781526117809

English

Manchester University Press

01 July 2018

352

James E. Connolly is a Lecturer in Modern French History in the French Department at University College London

The mastery of the conceptual stakes, of a now-abundant historiography and the affirmation of a strong thesis [.] guide the dive into departmental and municipal archives, which are the principal sources drawn upon alongside numerous printed sources published during and after the four years of the occupation of the nord during the first world war.' stephane lembre, lecturer in modern history, institute of historical research of the north, lille 3 university. Revue du nord '[an] immensely valuable, well written, exhaustively documented book. James e. Connolly has shown how important it is to illuminate the history of those who acted not only with dignity, but also the many who disrupted and deteriorated france's social fabric during a time of national crisis.' h-france reviews 'james e. Connolly's [book] is a well-crafted study of the german occupation in the nord during world war i. It argues against using world war ii histories of occupation for understanding the experience of occupation in the great war. It shows how the range of civilian responses were shaped by social class, as well as by regional, religious and gender differences. Finally, it illuminates the "culture of occupation"-a moral-patriotic framework-that emerged in the process. Using a wealth of archival and printed sources, this sophisticated study contributes to a better understanding of the war "behind the lines."' eugen weber book prize - honorable mention 'james connolly provides an important new investigation into the french experience of german occupation in the first world war. Based on impressive archival research, this book brings to light findings that revise our understanding of the war's impact on northern france and is an essential read for anyone interested in french and first world war history.' heather jones, professor of modern and contemporary european history, university college london