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Article: The French resistance - Print the legend.(Review)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- July 15, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE DEATH OF JEAN MOULIN: BIOGRAPHY OF A GHOST. By Patrick Marnham. John Murray; 288 pages; Pounds20
FRANCE, like any other country, builds its history partly on facts, and partly on myth and legend. In the case of French history during the second world war, too many of the facts are uncomfortable or even inglorious; so for the sake of national pride, myth and legend have since been called on to do double duty. One of the uncomfortable facts is that, after the military collapse, most of the French population acquiesced in the Vichy regime and the German occupation, and some collaborated enthusiastically.
The countervailing legend, of French courage and ...