Mark Ellis and Dr. Marc Olivier, French and Italian

The Second World War has captured the attention of every generation. As historians try to recount exactly what happened during this major turning point in western civilization, the value of primary narratives has become apparent. The voices that experienced World War II have much to say that can not be found in text books, and their generation is quickly disappearing.

This period held many complexities for the French people, who saw fighting on their own soils, the capitulation of their own government, and occupation of both the Nazi and Allied forces. The French were divided in their loyalties during this period that influenced their current national identity.

To evaluate the consciousness of the French people during this time period, I interviewed citizens and military that experienced it first-hand. I profited from my semester with the BYU study abroad to conduct this research.

Interviewees were found through various means. My host family was very helpful in spreading interest among their contacts. I sent out letters to Vetran’s associations and clubs and also interviewed people I met who expressed a willingness to participate. I usually met twice with each interviewee – the first time to explain my project and to outline their rights and answer their questions, and the second time to conduct a more formal interview. In cases where I could not interview them in person, I mailed them a list of the questions and topics I wished them to discuss and they sent me written responses.

Questions revolved around the general themes of their political sympathies, their religious convictions, their national bias, and employment before and after the war, and how the war affected these domains in the years since then.

During the months of February through April of 2002, I completed 11 full oral interviews and received several more written responses to my questionnaire, bringing the current total to 21. The initial process of finding interviewees most suitable for this assignment was difficult at first, but produced a swarm of willing contacts. The interviewees overall seemed eager to share their experiences and were very accommodating.

My hypothesis was that the actual accounts would differ from the standard facts presented in history books, and possibly contradict the image of the homogeneously resistant population. What I found was wide diversity. Those who were closer to areas that had seen more military action or who were involved in government at the time had particularly interesting insights about the period. Yet even those who were in remote rural areas still possessed deep convictions about aspects of the war that have persisted until today. I was fortunate to obtain such a variety of subjects who could talk about so many different aspects of the war. Even those who partially completed interviews offered much insight.

The nature of the accounts that I collected has led me to focus my research on the Resistance movement in France during this time. I have chosen to further develop this topic to complete my Honors Thesis and have continued to gather primary accounts. This project becomes more interesting and fulfilling with each interview, and the number of interviewees increases with each response as word spreads from interviewee to interviewee.

All things are difficult in the beginning. The most frustrating aspect of this project was acquiring administrative permission to research, though this is a necessary process to insure the rights and well-being of the interviewees. Further dealings with such administrative requirements will run more quickly. Also, the primary attempts to acquire interested and willing interviewees were difficult. By working with veteran organizations and through word-of-mouth, I found ample sources of contacts.

Overall, this was an excellent learning experience as I learned more about my intended subject and much about the indirect aspects of conducting research. I am continuing to expound my interview base and am incorporating the work done in this project with my Honors Thesis. Most importantly, it has increased my understanding and appreciation for the generation that lived through this formative time period.