Author Olivier Wieviorka published the book “The Resistance in Western Europe, 1940–1945 (European Perspectives: A Series in Social Thought and Cultural Criticism)” in 2019.

I categorize this book as ‘G’. This book tells the story of the various resistance organizations in Western Europe during WWII. It also covers how the Allies dealt with them.

The book covers the resistance movements in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Italy. It does not focus so much on the activities of the resistance units. It mostly looks at the political and administrative aspects.

I enjoyed the 16+ hours I spent reading this 447-page history. This was a very long read! It comes across as a very academic work. This also means that it was a bit of a struggle to read. I found that I could only dedicate 60-90 minutes at a time to it. This is perfect if you want to know more about what went on behind the scene. The cover art is OK but does not seem to portray the book content well. I give this book a 3.5 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

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I was curious after reading various other books about WWII to learn more about the resistance that was put up, and so naturally, when I saw this book, I was instantly drawn to it. I'm glad because this book deep-dives into the subject matter and offers the reader a much more complete picture than the brief mentions one finds in other books.

This is a well-written and thoughtful book with a lot to teach anyone who wants to take the time to read it. I found out a lot of things I wasn't aware of before finishing this and it posed some interesting questions that have fueled my desire to do further research. This book is educational, but also not so dry and purely academic that it bores you. I think the author struck a nice balance between conversational and informative writing.

I would definitely recommend this book to others who are interested in learning about this historical period and the resistance movements.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

In 1940, just after the fall of France, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered Military Intelligence (later known as MI6) to SET Europe on fire. Unfortunately, it never got above a smolder during most of the Nazi occupation of western Europe. For most occupied countries the major problem besides material shortages of arms was that the retaliation against partisans also meant the murdering of civilians for crimes of sabotage.

For countries like Denmark and Vichy (unoccupied) France, the manner of government precluded the forming of resistance groups. Especially in France, the Milice (the local Militia), spent all their time infiltrating the resistance and killing off the members or capturing arms that the British tries to air drop to them. Thing changed when the Germans took over Vichy and after the landings at Normandy and the Riviera in 1944, but by then the US and the Allies were just behind the Resistance.

Unlike the Partisans in Poland and most of Eastern Europe, most of the Resistance in Western Europe, has little effect on the prosecution of the war. Some of this was because agents and equip- ment had to either be air dropped or come in by sea. So even though the Allies tried real hard to foment problems for the Germans in occupied territory, for the most they did little damage.

I knew some well thought I knew all there was to know about the Resistance but after reading this,I really didn't know anything. I am so glad that I did read this to get a better understanding on how this worked,what it was for,and the lives I am sure that was saved. Very good description and was able to read and understand,not like some other books In have come across! Thank you from me anyway,I learned so much!!

Very interesting read . The author has gone to great lengths to extend his knowledge on the subject and it shows. The book has been well written and was easy to read. Thoroughly enjoyable read

Wieviorka gives an overview of the Resistance and its importance during World War II in Western Europe. How good is it though? It is both well written and well researched. In detail and in the broader participation of the Resistance we find Wierviorka takes the unsurprising path of showing the fractured and often overly attenuated nature of the alliances that developed. On the ground in the occupied territories, with relationships to other belligerent powers and in connection to struggles that affected and whose source and goals lay outside of the War were all sources of fracture. A alliance of opposition does not a strict unity make. Wierviorka shows this clearly and for this the book achieves its goal.

Deficiencies can be detected in the work. A greater development of comparison would have been helpful. The Fascist attempts to crush the resistance, the struggles in Asia, particularly China, Philippines and Vietnam, as well as the resistance in Slavic countries were all areas that could have been used to good effect as comparison models. This however is a small quibble. Perhaps more problematic is the very British perspective of the author. I can't say though that this is perspective that distorts the history.

Wieviorka work "The Resistance in Western Europe" is well worth the read and I recommend it.