 Front Page ofLibération Newspaper, May 1944 | |
| Formation | December 1940 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1944 |
| Purpose | Armed resistance and organised propaganda |
| Location |
|
| Leader | Emmanuel d'Astier,Raymond Aubrac |
Key people | Jean Cavaillès,Pierre Kaan,Lucie Aubrac |
Libération-sud (French pronunciation:[libeʁasjɔ̃syd], "Liberation-South") was aresistance group active between 1940-1944 and created in the Free Zone of France during theSecond World War in order to fight against the Nazi occupation through coordinated sabotage and propaganda operations.
Libération-Sud was established in a brothel ofClermont-Ferrand by an assortment of French intellectuals and activists includingEmmanuel d'Astier,Pierre Kaan,Jean Cavaillès,Lucie Aubrac andRaymond Aubrac. The first important Resistant group to emerge after theGerman occupation, it began publishingLibération in July 1941. With the support ofDaniel Mayer and the clandestineFrench Section of the Workers' International (SFIO, socialist party), the Libération-sud group grew rapidly.[1]
In 1942 Emmanuel d'Astier entered talks withJean Moulin about the possibility of uniting all the resistance groups working in France. After much discussion Moulin persuaded the eight major resistance groups to form theConseil National de la Résistance (CNR, National Council of Resistance). This included D'Astier'sLibération-Sud as well asCombat (Henri Frenay),Franc-Tireur (Jean-Pierre Lévy),National Front (Pierre Villon),Comité d'Action Socialiste (Pierre Brossolette) and theArmée secrète (Charles Delestraint).
Libération-Sud attempted to oversee and coordinate all resistance activities in the southern zones of France that were unoccupied by Nazi troops. The group positioned itself as a movement "of the left, with a strong worker presence, socialist, masonic and Christian".[2]
The first published edition ofLibération, dated July 1941, resulted in the distribution of over 10,000 copies. In autumn 1942, Jules Meurillon was named in charge of the propaganda and distribution service of the organization and successfully increased the annual circulation ofLibération to over 200,000 copies by August 1944.[1][3]
The paper published by Libération-Sud is thesame paper thatJean-Paul Sartre andSerge July re-founded in 1973.[4]
