Our rear area probably lived too well’
Tourism and the German occupation of France, 1940–1944
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12924389 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Julia S Torrie (0000-0003-1526-5231, St. Thomas University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 309-330 |
| Publication date | 2011-11-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Tourism History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1755-182X • E-ISSN: 1755-1838 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1755182x.2011.628057 |
| OpenAlex | W2067142853 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
Between 1940 and 1944, Germans approached France not only as conquerors, but also as tourists. Tourism provided rest and relaxation, and gave individuals a framework to perceive France and interpret their own presence as occupiers. At the same time, tourism was exploited by policy-makers to reinforce dominance and satisfy soldiers’ curiosity without letting them lose the critical distance necessary for effective control. Even when resistance activity and losses on other fronts made their situation precarious, occupiers’ tourism persisted. Viewed with increasing suspicion by soldiers stationed elsewhere, the regime's acceptance of tourism underlines its inability to limit the development of a so-called ‘Etappengeist’ (rear area attitude, softness) in France. Drawing on soldiers’ letters, diaries and photographs to supplement official documents, this article uses tourism as a window into Germans’ experiences as occupiers. It contributes to debates about the interplay of violence and leisure, about tourism's function during military occupations, in wartime, and under authoritarian regimes
Archaeology · Economic history · Geography · German · Political science · Tourism · European history and politics · French Historical and Cultural Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History
| Citations per year | 0.4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2024 (9) |
| Highly cited | No |