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 can become contentious terms for what other observers might describe as
terrorists.
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.
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 resistance during World War II*
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 Secret State and 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 – ChetniksPlanned 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 after official end of
Philippine-American War (
1902-
1913)
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.
*
Mordechaj Anielewicz*
Josip Broz - Tito *
Edmund Charaszkiewicz*
Mildred Harnack*
Jan Karski*
Henryk Iwański*
Jean Moulin*
Christian Pineau*
Hannie Schaft*
Nancy Wake*
Claus von Stauffenberg*
Rebellion*
Collaboration (the opposite of resistance)
*
Covert cell*
List of guerrillas*
Nonviolent resistance*
Polish Secret State*
Special Operations Executive *
Anti-fascism*
Valkenburg resistance - an example of (Dutch) resistance in practise.
*
Fictional resistance movements and groups
