Resistance movement

A resistance movement is a non-military group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to fighting an invader in an occupied country through either the use of physical force, or nonviolence. The term resistance has political overtones, as people have used it (and historically, other terms like it) to drum up support in opposition to foreign occupation.

Organizations and individuals critical of foreign intervention and supporting forms of organized movement (particularly where citizens are affected) tend to favor the term. When such a resistance movement uses violence, those favorably disposed to it may also speak of freedom fighters. Both phrases -- resistance movement and freedom fighters -- can become contentious terms for what other observers might describe as terrorists.

Background

Resistance movements can include any irregular armed force that rises up against an enforced or established authority, government, or administration. This frequently includes groups that consider themselves to be resisting tyranny. Some resistance movements are underground organizations engaged in a struggle for national liberation in a country under military occupation or totalitarian domination.

Tactics of resistance movements against a constituted authority range from nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, to industrial sabotage and guerrilla warfare. Or even conventinal warfare if the resistance movement is strong enough. Any government facing violent acts from a resistance movement usually condemns such acts as terrorism, even when such attacks target only the military or security forces.

Resistance during World War II was dedicated to fighting the Axis invaders. Germany itself also had an anti-Nazi German resistance movement in this period. Although mainland Britain did not suffer invasion in World War II, the British made preparations for a British resistance movement in the event of a German invasion.

Examples of resistance movements

World War II

See also Resistance during World War II

• Albanian resistance movement
• Belgian resistance movement
• Czech Resistance movement
• Danish resistance movement
• Dutch resistance movement
• Estonian resistance movement
• French resistance movement in World War II, including the
  • Maquis
• German resistance movements
  • The White Rose
  • The Red Orchestra
• Greek resistance movement
• Italian resistance movement
• Latvian resistance movement
• Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian ("Forest brothers") resistance movements during the Soviet invasion and occupation of the Baltic countries (continued after the end of WWII).
• Norwegian resistance movement
• Philippine resistance movement -- the anti-Japanese phase of the Huk movement
• Polish resistance organizations:
  • Armia Krajowa (the Home Army), Polish underground army in World War II (400 000 sworn members)
  • Narodowe Siły Zbrojne
  • Bataliony Chłopskie
  • Gwardia Ludowa (the Peoples' Guard) and Armia Ludowa (the Peoples' Army)
  • Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa (ZOB, the Jewish Fighting Organisation), Jewish resistance movement that led the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943
  • Zydowski Zwiazek Walki (ZZW, the Jewish Fighting Union), Jewish resistance movement that led the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943
• Romanian anti-communist resistance movement - during the Soviet occupation of Romania (continued after the end of WWII).
• Slovak resistance movement
• Soviet resistance movement of Soviet partisans and underground which had Moscow-organized and spontaneously formed cells opposing German occupation.
• Ukrainian Insurgent Army - fought the Poles, the Germans and the Soviets.
• Yugoslav resistance movements:
  • People's Liberation Army – the partisans
  • Yugoslav Royal Army in the Fatherland – Chetniks

Planned resistance movements:

• The Auxiliary Units, organized by Colonel Colin Gubbins as a potential British resistance movement against a possible invasion of the British Isles by Nazi forces.

Pre-World War II

• The Rising of East Karelians (1921-1922)
• Lwów Eaglets
• Non-Cooperation Movement (1919-1939)
• Filipino guerilla units continued resistance against America for nearly a decade after the Philippin American War's official ended.

Pre-20th Century

• Carbonari - 19th century Italian movement resisting Austrian or Bourbon rule.

• Sons of Liberty - Revolutionary patriot group that embraced Republicanism in the United States during the 1760's and 1770's and routinely engaged in acts of violent resistance against British government officials and prominent loyalist sympathizers. The Boston branch of the Sons of Liberty met under the Liberty Tree, from which they would post messages or hang and burn effigies of their enemies.

• The Underground Railroad - The pre American Civil War slave escape network consisting of volunteers who were dedicated to secretly helping escaping slave reach free states or Canada.

Notable individuals in resistance movements

• Mildred Harnack

World War II (anti-Nazi, anti-Fascist)

• Mordechaj Anielewicz
• Josip Broz - Tito
• Jean Moulin
• Christian Pineau
• Hannie Schaft
• Nancy Wake
• Jan Karski

See also

• Anti-fascism
• Rebellion
• Special Operations Executive
• Polish Secret State
• Edmund Charaszkiewicz
• Collaboration (the opposite of resistance)
• Covert cell
• List of guerrillas
• Nonviolent resistance
• Valkenburg resistance - an example of (Dutch) resistance in practise.
• Fictional resistance movements and groups