Culture | Double lives

Three stories of collusion during the second world war

Ian Buruma examines the motives and results of betrayal in “The Collaborators”

Image: Getty Images

When nations are licking the wounds of war and occupation, they tell and retell the stories of people who resisted heroically. Equally strong is the instinct to anathematise the accursed characters who colluded with the foe. Focusing on both extremes can be a way for ordinary folk to set aside their own behaviour, which was often somewhere in the middle. Yet even seemingly egregious collaborations can have complex motives and results.

This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Double lives”

From the March 4th 2023 edition

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