OPERATION BOLERO-PAPRIKA
Une rafle effacée
Discover a documentary series in 3 episodes to highlight a little-known event in French history, against the backdrop of the Cold War and under pressure from Franco, Operation Bolero Paprika, a roundup of foreign resistance fighters on September 7, 1950.
"France is beginning to face certain problems with its colonies. It needs to be able to pass through Spain as well to get closer to it. And so there is also a kind of negotiation that is made between the French government and Franco. Franco, for his part, does not appreciate having guerrillas on his border and I think that this also contributes to this decision to expel a certain number of Spanish communists."
1950 marked a dark turning point in the history of France, as the world was plunged into the tensions of the Cold War. The anti-fascist unity of the people, forged in the fight against Nazism, was faltering under the increasing pressures of the Western and Soviet blocs. Winston Churchill's famous speech in Fulton in 1946 sounded the death knell for this unity, initiating a division of the world into antagonistic ideological blocs.
Under the influence of the anti-communist policy of the American administration and the rise of McCarthyism, Western governments engaged in a hunt for communists and progressives. In France, this hostile atmosphere was manifested by the exclusion of communists from the spheres of power, as well as by a severe repression of Spanish republicans, former fighters of the anti-fascist Resistance.
On September 6, 1950, on the orders of the Minister of the Interior and Services, Operation Bolero-Paprika was launched, a roundup specifically targeting foreign anti-fascist resistance fighters who had taken refuge in France. This draconian operation, carried out under pressure from the Franco regime in Spain, aimed to eliminate any potentially subversive opposition.
Here is a brand new documentary series in 3 episodes to highlight this little-known event in French history. Who was behind this roundup and what were their motivations? What were the objectives of Operation Boléro-Paprika and who were its main targets? What were the consequences of such repression, the justifications put forward? Finally, what impact did this event have on collective memory and what remains of it today?
This documentary series was produced with Aurélie Denoyer who agreed to answer my questions
Aurélie Denoyer, PhD in history, in her book "Exile as homeland: Spanish communist refugees in the GDR (1950-1989) Individual trajectories, collective history" offers an in-depth and nuanced exploration of the experience of Spanish communist refugees in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) for nearly four decades.
As an author, Aurélie Denoyer delves into the individual trajectories of these refugees, while deploying a rigorous analysis of their collective history. Her work highlights the challenges faced by these refugees, their contributions to East German society, and the complex dynamics of their integration into a new political and cultural environment.
By exploring exile as a form of alternative homeland, Aurélie Denoyer offers us an innovative perspective on the experience of forced migration and the resilience of individuals confronted with tumultuous historical circumstances. Her book enriches our understanding of human history by highlighting the often forgotten narratives of marginalized communities and offers a profound reflection on questions of identity, solidarity, and collective memory.
Discover the episodes of the radio series
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