The Chantiers de la Jeunesse in Languedoc, 1940-44

The Vichy regime's compulsory youth camps, the Chantiers de la Jeunesse, have an importance that is recognized by both temoins and historians. Some of those who experienced life in the Chantiers have reorganized and developed the Association des Anciens des Chantiers de la Jeunesse (A.D.A.C.) which seeks to sustain the spirit of comradeship and brassage social that marked some Chantiers. The very existence of the A.D.A.C. has a dual interest for historians both historiographically, in its unstated need to defend and justify the experience of the Chantiers, and methodologically, in providing a potential reseau of men who are prepared to share their recollections of history seen from below. During the last two decades historians have studied the Chantiers both as part of the Vichy regime's attempts to socialize its young people' and also within the wider context of Vichy's relationship with Germany.2 Most research has concentrated on asking questions about the intentions of policy makers at the national level and the response of the Chantier leaders as the role of the camps evolved over time. During the 1960s the tone of the debate on the Chantiers was particularly acrimonious in France with claims and counterclaims about whether the regime had defended or sacrificed the younger generation. R. Hervet argued that the Chantiers saved young people from German designs and ultimately constituted the basis of a secret French army,3 while R. Josse maintained that they

Political science · French Historical and Cultural Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies

• Enraciner les jeunes d’Algérie

  Alexander Lang, Claire Simon•Genèses•2020

  Add to list

• The challenge to laïcité

  Open Access•Nicholas Atkin•The Historical Journal•1992

  Add to list