French political ecumenism and Charles de Gaulle, 1940-1946

The movement of resistance led by Charles de Gaulle was a high point in the history of 'political ecumenism' in France. For the first time since the Second Republic in 1848, French Catholics, Protestants, and Jews, practising and non-practising, co-operated fully on the political level. But unlike its ephemeral predecessor, the Second Republic, this experiment in political ecumenism continued well after the original events that helped to make it occur.

This thesis is divided into three chapters. The first will examine the relationship between Catholics and Republicans, as well as the relationship between the various religious communities that co-existed in France. The second chapter will examine de Gaulle's ideas and convictions in light of the evidence presented in the first part, as well as his relationship to the Protestant and Jewish communities of France. The third chapter will look at the practical application of political ecumenism by examining the Protestants and Jews who joined de Gaulle's Resistance movement during the Second World War.