March Bloch essays

March Bloch essays Marc Blochs Strange Defeat: A Statement of Evidence Written in 1940, was the result of his experiences during the Nazi invasion of France during World War Two. As the title describes, this Memoir was written in 1940 but was not published until after the war in 1946. This work was written while Bloch was in hiding from the Nazis in Guret France during the months following the Nazi occupation of France. Bloch, who joined the war effort against the Nazis in 1939 at the age of fifty-four, was of jewish heritage and realized he was a prime target for their hate. Despite his age and the French policy excusing him from duty, Bloch was dedicated to protecting his home. Bloch vanished into the French resistance and by 1943 he was a leader of the resitance group Francs-Tireur. Bloch was finally captured by the Nazis in 1944 and was killed by them along with a number of other members of the resistance. Although the original language of the document was French, it has been translated into Engli sh. Bloch was born in Lyon France on July 6, 1886 to an upper middle class Jewish family. Much like his father, Bloch became a professor of history after he fought in the first World War. Bloch served in the infantry and was awarded a number of commendments including the Legion of Honor. His first teaching position was at Strasbourg University as a professor of Medieval history. He remained at Strasbourg until 1936 when he took over the chair of economic history at the Sorbonne. Strange Defeat seems to be directed at the French people as well as the French government. The document outlines the flaws of the French policies during the nazi invasion and analyzes what could have been done differently to avoid occupation. Because of the nature of the work, people all over the world can read Strange Defeat and learn a great deal about a nations foreign and domestic policies and how they correspond with the execution of them. ...