Women
The General’s Niece
Over the last year I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and reading about women involved in resistance movements in World War II. The extent of women’s particicpation in the armed resistance units known as the maquis is a matter of dispute. But no one doubts that many women performed critical activities that allowed the…
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Women of the Great War: The Russian Women’s Battalion of Death
Despite the creepy moniker, the Russian Women’s Battalion of Death is not really the stuff from which Halloween stories are made. Instead it is a tale of patriotism, courage, and political idealism When World War I began, Russian law prohibited women from joining the army. Nonetheless, Russian women found ways to fight. Some women took…
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Women of the Great War: The Hello Girls
As I’ve mentioned before here in the Margins, now and then a bit of history begins to track me down. A name, event, or idea piques my interest and suddenly I stumble across it everywhere. Or at least in the footnotes to books on tangentially related subjects. Lately the “Hello Girls” of the first World…
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