Professionalism in the final solution: French railway workers and the Jewish deportations, 1942–4

Broch, L. 2014. Professionalism in the final solution: French railway workers and the Jewish deportations, 1942–4. Contemporary European History. 23 (3), pp. 359-380. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777314000186

TitleProfessionalism in the final solution: French railway workers and the Jewish deportations, 1942–4
TypeJournal article
AuthorsBroch, L.
Abstract

Why did railway workers never sabotage the deportation trains? This article examines the role of French railway workers in the Holocaust by historicising the concept of railway professionalism. It argues that the actions and behaviour of French railwaymen, whether blue-collar, white-collar or Jewish, were rooted in long-standing professional identities and values which were difficult to shift, even during the occupation. So whereas the professionalism of Holocaust bureaucrat perpetrators is often demonised, this article points to its socio-cultural importance and offers a more nuanced interpretation of ‘perpetrators’ in the Holocaust.

JournalContemporary European History
Journal citation23 (3), pp. 359-380
ISSN0960-7773
Year2014
PublisherCambridge University Press
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777314000186
Publication dates
PublishedAug 2014

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