Abraham Mazel (1677-1710)
A prophet and a fighter, Abraham Mazel was the first and the last of the Camisards.
Alsace
Few French provinces have known as much distress as Alsace, suffering two annexations to the German Reich, and then twice reintegrated into France. The Protestant community took part in these...
Alsace from 1871 to 1918
The annexation of Alsace and of the Moselle part of Lorraine to the 2nd Reich, (Treaty of Frankfurt, 10 May 1871) was a terrible shock to the population who believed...
Between the Wars
France was victorious but devastated. Its illusions of power were at odds with the problems of compensation. Protestantism was split between traditional left-wing and new right-wing movements. However, the creation...
The First World War
The « sacred union » brought together all strands of Protestantism. Should the war not be short ? But the slaughter resulted in cruel deception, which many Christians perceived as failure, but would...
Alsace and World War II
The declaration of war led to the evacuation of one third of the population of Alsace : from Strasbourg and the border cities to the south-west of France, and the University...
Alsace from 1945 to the present
The Liberation (November 1944 to March 1945) – reinstated the legality of the French Republic and the particularities of Alsace were affirmed, such as the worship concordat, school statutes, and...
The Protestants during World War II
In June 1940 at the time of defeat, the attitude of the Protestants was similar to that of most of the French : they trusted Field Marshall Pétain. But the break...
Deportation
Concentration camps had been created as early as 1933 for German dissidents, in Dachau in Bavaria and Oranienburg near Berlin. With the expansion of the Reich, their number grew. Certain...
The Protestants and the Vichy regime
At the defeat in 1940, the Protestants’ attitude was similar to that of most of the French : to trust Field Marshal Pétain. The break with the Vichy regime came as...
Protestants outside France
Few were those who had the courage to say « No” to the armistice announced on 17 June 1940 ». An estimated 2,000 French chose to leave for England during the summer...
The Resistance and the Liberation
The Protestants had protested early on and widely against the measures taken by the Vichy regime, and had been forerunners in humanitarian aid, (the role of Cimade), but they hesitated...
The role of protestant women during the 20th century
At the end of the 19th century, protestant women were already very much involved in creating social charities. Early in the 20th century they followed the Anglo-Saxon example and managed...
Growing numbers of women pastors between 1960 and 2000
Since the 1960s women were definitely considered as pastors equal to men in Lutheran and Reformed churches. At the turn of the 20th century, they were more and more numerous...
Women pastors from 1900 to 1960
Women started being pastors as the general movement for emancipation appeared towards the end of the 19th century, and as young women were accepted in universities. Then the need to...
The Young Women’s Movement (Mouvement Jeunes Femmes)
The Young Women’s Movement (Mouvement Jeunes Femmes) came into being when, at the congress of the « Young Women’s Christian Association » (Unions Chrétiennes de Jeune Filles) in 1946, some of the...
Scouting and women
After the English example female scouting was created with a view to training and managing young women. In 1920 the creation of the Fédération Française des Eclaireuses (FPE – French...