During the dark years of the Nazi occupation, many French and Allied citizens risked and sacrificed their lives fighting against their oppressors. Their networks undermined the Nazis through intelligence, sabotage and guerilla tactics, and eventually grew into a huge clandestine force ready to help liberate their own country.

But who were these activists? How much damage did they inflict on the occupiers? And what happened to those who fought – and those who collaborated – when the war was finally over?

This is a Short History of the French Resistance.

Written by Kate Harrison. With thanks to Hanna Diamond, Professor of French History at Cardiff University.

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