Class Year

2018

Document Type

Student Research Paper

Date of Creation

Fall 2017

Department 1

History

Abstract

Previous studies of relationships between American GIs and the French population during and after Liberation paint two extremes: one of a perfectly handsome American man doling out candy, cigarettes, and kisses, and the other of a rapist and conqueror. In reality, the situation proved to be somewhere between these two realities. In this paper, I will argue that the Franco-American relationship in the months of July, August, and September 1944 was one of utility and necessity that left the French vulnerable and powerless. Because of factors such as preexisting conditions left behind by German soldiers, language barriers, and material needs, American GIs enlisted, collaborated with, interacted with, and took advantage of Parisians during their time in Paris

Comments

This paper was written for Dr. Birkner's course, HIST 421: The US and World War II, Fall 2017.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Download

Share

COinS