Rumours, Prophecies, and Fake News: Everyday Communication Under German Occupation in France, 1940–44

In this paper, I argue that the problem of majority behaviour under German occupation between 1940 and 1944 has not been discussed with sufficient nuance. Whereas claims of a far-spread accommodation certainly hold true, other common behavioural patterns such as the dissemination of foreign radio news, rumours, prophecies, and historical analogies hint at more critical or subversive facets of daily life under occupation. The article attempts to analyse such narratives and the ensuing social practices by cross-reading German, British, and French archives as well as a broad range of French diaries. Analysing these informal modes of communication and sense-making not only deepens our understanding of French society under German occupation, but can also help explain disagreements and tensions in postwar memorial and historical debates.