The Second World War And French Women's Liberation Movement

During World War II, many women took part in the war, abandoning the restrictions of old traditions and getting actively involved in the fight against the Fascist and Vichy Governments. They participated in intelligence transmission, assisted to protect the leaders of the organization, looked for food and life supplies to insure the smoothness of the resistance movement, established secret organizations to protect the soldiers in the Resistance Movement and allied forces etc. All these activities were unimaginable before. By taking part in the Resistance Movement, French women broadened their views, tempered their wills and boost their confidences and they began to free themselves from the family to the society. Although the experience in the Resistance Movement was not the biggest reason for the post-war women liberation movement, the role of this period can never be neglected. Thus, by analyzing the reasons, process, actions and influences of Women Residence Movement, this study tries to discuss how the participation in it influenced French women in politics, ideas, culture, and society and hence affected the historical process of French Women Liberation Movement.The thesis consists of five chapters: the introductory part, the body including three sections and the concluding part.The introduction gives a brief description of the research this thesis is concerned and the objective of this study is also shown here.The first chapter of the body analyses reasons of women's participation in the Resistance, including: defeat of the French Government, difficult economic situation of France and the nationality revolution of the Vichy Government.The second chapter describes the influences of French women in World War II, mainly including the following aspects: the organization of them in the French Resistance Movement, the challenges French women faces and their advantages, the impacts on them by the Resistance Movement and their development after the war.The third chapter expounds the rights French women got after the war and their present situation.The concluding part gives an insight into the process of French women liberation by analyzing the body part.