The Milice Française

Baker, Daniel 2024. The Milice Française. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis presents a new, nuanced analysis of the Milice, a paramilitary force established in Vichy France. Eschewing moralistic, top-down, and categorical approaches common to the scholarly literature on the Milice, this thesis proposes to reconceptualise miliciens as perpetrators. By consequence, this thesis focuses on the processes of socialisation that permitted the miliciens to perpetrate horrific levels of violence. Rather than seeing miliciens as inherently pathological, this thesis takes an ethnographic approach, giving the miliciens themselves a voice through their post-war purge trials. By focusing on its training, recruitment, rituals and funerals, we can understand how individuals were recruited, retained and trained for violence. The study reveals that motivations for joining the Milice were driven by a combination of personal, socio-political, and opportunistic factors, rather than purely ideological alignment. Strategic recruitment efforts targeted influential local figures, while training and propaganda fostered a strong sense of belonging and loyalty, which was conducive to the extreme violence perpetrated by its members. The Milice’s violent actions are reassessed, demonstrating the heterogeneous nature that challenges the conventional view of them as elite enforcers of Vichy policy. Instead, it highlights theautonomous and often chaotic operations of the Milice, driven by a sense of community, danger, and a victim complex among its members. As the war progressed, the Milice’s actions became increasingly driven by survival instincts rather than dogmatic ideological commitment. Their retreat to Sigmaringen and subsequent actions underscore the pragmatic and opportunistic nature of their collaboration, revealing the complex motivations behind their behaviour. The thesis concludes by examining the post-war purge, highlighting the desperate defence strategies of the miliciens and their ultimate failure to evade retribution. By integrating a wide range of archival sources, primarily court documents, it challenges existing interpretations, making a significant contribution to the historiography of the Milice and Vichy France, while offering a nuanced perspective on individual agency and collaboration during this dark period.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D731 World War II D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D901 Europe (General) D History General and Old World > DC France
Funders:	SWW2 DTP
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 June 2025
Date of Acceptance:	14 April 2025
Last Modified:	13 Jun 2025 08:21
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/178989

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