Unification of French Resistance under De Gaulle

Extract

[...] This is the junction between the two forms of resistance that come to an end with the repression of collaboration. It is indeed the General who establishes, in place of the Vichy regime, the provisional government of the French Republic (GPRF). To keep the commitments made earlier to the resistance organizations, reconstruction passes through the return of democracy, the restoration of individual freedoms, as well as the creation of new social rights. During the Nuremberg trials (1945-1946), the condemnation of Nazi dignitaries recalls the violence and severity of the atrocities committed against the resistance. [...]

[...] To begin with, we will examine the multiple types of resistance that emerged from the 1940 capitulation. Then, we will see in a second step how General de Gaulle undertook the progressive establishment of a common resistance force allowing the liberation of French territory in 1944. I. The establishment of diverse and disorganized resistance movements A resistance that begins slowly The announcement of the cessation of hostilities on June by Marshal Pétain, followed by the signing of the armistice on June 22 in the face of Germany, constitutes a shock for many. [...]

[...] In not recognizing the French authorities as legitimate, he places himself as the symbol of French resistance that does not abdicate. Recognized by the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, he became a legitimate element of representation, a guide for Free France. He quickly set up the Free French Forces (FFL) in July 1940 so that the resistance could gain structure with better logistics and financial support. The goal was to organize the gathering of volunteers who wanted to fight for France around a structured resistance movement. [...]

[...] National relays such as Jean Moulin also contributed to centralizing decisions and structuring operations with the CNR. The success of the liberation of the French territory in 1944 constitutes the proof of the effectiveness of the union of the resistance movements. The legitimacy and unity of the General in the aftermath of the conflict make him an unavoidable figure at the head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic, recognized by the victorious countries and by the French people. [...]

[...] The troops also regain hope with the invasion of the USSR by Germany in April and the entry of the Americans into the war at the end of 1941. In fact, the communist groups join the global effort and both human and financial support flows in to organize operations on the ground. Jean Moulin begins in 1942 to gather the movements under the same authority. This is concretized in 1943 by the constitution of the National Council of the Resistance (CNR) which was until then the French National Committee, the primary result of the de facto unification of national resistance with the support of General de Gaulle. II. [...]