Alsace-Lorraine: shared destinies
The people of France as a whole suffered terribly during the two World Wars. Nevertheless, the unique situation of both Alsace and Lorraine during this period has to be acknowledged.
Following the military defeat of France in 1870 at the hands of Prussia, Alsace and part of Lorraine were annexed by the German Empire. Although this was not the direct cause of the First World War, a spirit of revenge and nostalgia for the lost territories ran through literature and the press, particularly during the first months of the conflict. The "Reconquest of Alsace-Lorraine" thus remained engraved in people's memories.
The Battle of Verdun in Lorraine still epitomises the Great War: appallingly deadly for both countries, it has come to symbolise attrition warfare. After the Armistice, Alsace-Lorraine reverted to France but in terms of legislation, Georges Clemenceau judged it impossible to completely erase 48 years of German occupation.
In June 1940, Hitler occupied Alsace and Lorraine. For over four years, they were thus subjected to the Nazi totalitarian regime. At the time of the Liberation, although they may have been returned to France, various local laws in the territories remained Germanic.
Today, the Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and Moselle departements represent the territorial structure of the former Alsace-Lorraine and what this expression stood for now belongs to history. However, the local particularities distinctive to the region prove the existence of a certain common cultural identity.
Some images bear witness to the region's particularly hard times.
