Open AccessExamining the Dutch Resistance Movement During World War II
Author(s) -
Luke Van Bostelen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
constellations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2562-0509
DOI - 10.29173/cons29445
Subject(s) - german , resistance (ecology) , nazism , world war ii , spanish civil war , freedom of movement , work (physics) , population , political science , government (linguistics) , movement (music) , law , sociology , history , engineering , demography , art , archaeology , mechanical engineering , ecology , linguistics , philosophy , biology , aesthetics
This paper is an analysis of the Dutch resistance movement during World War II. During the German occupation of the Netherlands, 102,000 Dutch Jews were deported and killed, which amounted to approximately 75 percent of the pre-war Jewish population in the Netherlands. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of Dutch civilians were forced to work in German work camps to fuel the German war machine. Despite this, only 4% of Dutch citizens participated in the resistance movement. This paper will examine the roles of these resistance fighters, as well as several primary sources that demonstrate their importance and significance. It will explain that resistance work was incredibly dangerous work done by many local organizations that when combined formed a national movement. The resistance movement was recognized and encouraged by the Dutch government in exile and was viewed as a threat by the German occupiers. Ultimately, members of the resistance movement should be viewed as heroes who were willing to stand up to the evil of the Nazi regime and risk their lives for freedom.