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“A fine, racy account of the Occupation and Liberation of Paris—a rattlingly good read” (Giles MacDonogh, author of After the Reich). During the fall of 1944, once the Western Allies had gained military advantage over the Nazis, the crown jewel of Allied strategy became the liberation of Paris—the capital of France so long held in captivity. This event, however, was steeped in more complexity when the Allies returned than in 1940 when Hitler’s legions first marched in. In 1944, the city was beset by cross-currents about who was to reclaim it—the French Resistance, the long-suffering Parisians themselves, or the Anglo-American armies which had indeed won the victory. This book pun...
One of the most common assumptions about World War II is that the Jews did not actively or effectively resist their own extermination at the hands of the Nazis. In this powerful book, Benjamin Ginsberg convincingly argues that the Jews not only resisted the Germans but actually played a major role in the defeat of Nazi Germany. The question, he contends, is not whether the Jews fought but where and by what means. True, many Jews were poorly armed, outnumbered, and without resources, but Ginsberg shows persuasively that this myth of passivity is solely that—a myth. The author describes how Jews resisted Nazism strongly in four major venues. First, they served as members of the Soviet milita...
Democracy posits the universality of the equality principle: a community of citizens is governed by the principle of the formal equality of all individuals, whatever their real social, cultural, or other inequalities. Democratization, on the other hand, is motivated by the ambition of ensuring the real equality of citizens, and not simply their formal equality. The dynamics of democracy are thus insured by the development of a welfare state that increasingly intervenes in order to satisfy the social and economic needs of individuals. Especially focused on France, yet informed by the experiences of other European countries, this book examines the dilemmas of the search for equality in society...
At a time of differing perceptions of and frayed relations between the historic alliance between France and the United States, this volume merits the attention of serious people in government service and a wider public. It describes deeds of enormous courage, performed at great risk, in a time of crisis. The behavior of American soldiers and intelligence officers, and the extraordinary support from ordinary French men and women in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, is a story too little remembered today, and even less frequently told. This volume is an edited summary of what transpired at a unique colloquium held in the Salle Mdicis of the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris in December 2000, and hosted by the president of the French Senate.
Léon Blum (1872–1950) was many things: a socialist and political activist, leader of the Popular Front; a dedicated statesman who served as France's prime minister three times; a hero who courageously opposed anti-Semitism, Nazi aggression, and the pro-German Vichy government; a passionate lover of women, art, and life. A tireless champion for workers' rights, Blum dramatically changed French society by establishing the forty-hour work week, paid holidays, and collective bargaining on wage claims. He was also a proud Jew and Zionist, and a survivor who endured the horrors of Buchenwald and Dachau. Unlike previous biographies that downplay the significance of Blum's Jewish heritage on his progressive politics, Pierre Birnbaum's enlightening portrait depicts an extraordinary man whose political convictions were shaped and driven by his religious and cultural background. The author powerfully demonstrates how Blum's Jewishness was central to his milieu and mission from his earliest entry into the political arena in reaction to the infamous Dreyfus Affair, and how it sustained and motivated him throughout the remainder of his life.
Towards a Re-Definition of Development: Essays and Discussion on the Nature of Development in an International Perspective reconsiders the generally accepted definition of development based on the assumption that there is no universal method for comprehending development and no one major principle for elucidating its evolution. The emphasis is on the so-called white, Western, and wealthy developed countries. Divided into two parts, this book begins with a critical analysis of the nature of development and the conditions necessary for a developed world. The irreversibility of technical and industrial evolution is considered, along with the role of science and technology in development; the co...
The French Resistance has an iconic status in the struggle to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe, but its story is entangled in myths. Gaining a true understanding of the Resistance means recognizing how its image has been carefully curated through a combination of French politics and pride, ever since jubilant crowds celebrated Paris’s liberation in August 1944. Robert Gildea’s penetrating history of resistance in France during World War II sweeps aside “the French Resistance” of a thousand clichés, showing that much more was at stake than freeing a single nation from Nazi tyranny. As Fighters in the Shadows makes clear, French resistance was part of a Europe-wide struggle against fasci...