The clues that reveal Marie-Louise class status
The Normandy Diary of Marie-Louise Osmont, which was published on May 5th, 1994 by Marie-Louise Osmont, shows the experience of the German occupation and the invasion of Normandy through an eyewitness account. This source shows an interesting view which is not one of a soldier, rather a civilian. Many sources which are observed are those by soldiers themselves, not as much the civilians. Marie-Louise Osmont’s source does not really tell us much other than her experiences and thoughts of being occupied and invaded. However, one can figure out what class Osmont belongs to by just examining the source. Classes can be identified by small aspects such as clothing, professions, housing, activities and much more. By identifying such clues in a source, you can identify social classes. The source edited by Ronald Drez reveals clues such as Marie-Louise’s husbands’ profession, her house and the way she was treated by the German soldiers, which in its turn can all tell us that she most likely belonged to the upper class of the French society.
To fully understand why Marie-Louise Osmont most likely belonged to the upper class of France, we must understand what the upper class of France was during this time. After WW1, democracy took over and a capitalistic way of life began. Before, classes were usually created through titles and therefore passed down. Capitalism made it possible for the untitled to climb up in class. During the time of Marie-Louise Osmont’s diary, classes were mainly defined according to financial income. The ones who earned the most money were the ones who earned the title as upper class men. This is the system which we can see still today, where the amount of financial income defines your social class.
In the very beginning of Marie-Louise Osmont’s source, which was edited by Ronald Drez, he writes that her husband was a physician. Becoming a physician requires education and education in the past had always been for the noble. During the early twentieth century was no difference, education was for those who could afford it. As mentioned before, the upper class were defined by their riches and riches were needed to pursue a higher education. Physicians during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, were considered to be smarter than ever before. Before the 1850’s you could see physicians coming from the working/middle classes, however during the late nineteenth century the education was intensified and the costs to pursue this career raised. The cost of medical medicine in some European countries drove almost all middle class people away from learning medicine.1
Also, Ronald Drez mentions in his edited version of Marie-Louise source that she lived in a chateau overlooking the Normandy beaches. The word chateau is equivalent to the English word ‘’castle’’. The meaning of the word ‘’chateau’’ later took on additional meanings such as royal palace, mansion and stately home. Even though chateaus firstly were created for defensive reasons, they later became elegant palaces and this is where mansions appeared. A chateau is an elegant estate which can be valued to an extraordinary amount of money.2 Some of these chateaus were also used as farming estates. These establishments were considered more ‘’fancy’’ compared to the more common farming estates. In Marie-Louise diary, she mentions taking care of animals which gives us an idea of her chateau being one of these farming chateaus. Chateaus are usually passed on within families, however they can also be purchased for the right amount of money. Whether Marie-Louise Osmont ended up living in this chateau thanks to family privileges or thanks to having the finances, the main fact that she lived in a chateau shows that she belonged to the upper class.
The French people were treated quite well by the Nazis. This was mostly due to their ethnicity, because the French were mostly descendants of Germanic or Celtic people. The French did not suffer from ethnic cleansing, which was experienced in Eastern Europe. However, this does not mean that all the French were treated well. The upper class of France were treated better than the lower classes. Treatments such as letting them stay in their own houses, no looting of personal items, no discrimination, etc. In Ronald Drez’s edited version of Marie-Louise Osmont’s diary, you can examine the way the German soldiers treated her. The main fact that the Nazis let her stay in her own house shows that they showed some kind of respect towards her class. In many cases when the German soldiers occupied French buildings, they made the owners move out. This was not the case for Marie-Louise, where she was allowed to stay in a couple of rooms of her chateau. However, the Germans did let people who owned farms stay in their houses, but only if they provided food for the soldiers. This could also be the reason for why Marie-Louise was allowed to stay in her own house. These two evidences shows that she was of the upper class, I believe that the Germans let her stay in her house due to both these things.
Ronald Drez edited excerpt of Marie-Louise Osmont’s diary is an interesting source that shows us the invasion of Normandy out of Marie-Louise perspective. As mentioned before, this is different due to many eyewitness accounts coming from soldiers themselves. This source can tell us which social class Marie-Louise Osmont belonged to. By closely examining this source and with good supporting secondary sources, you can conclude that she belonged to the upper class of France. Through closer analysis of Marie-Louise Osmont’s husband’s profession you can conclude that they were rich. The cost of higher medical education during the late 19th century was only for the rich. The upper class of France during this time consisted of those who had a lot of money and therefore Marie-Louise husband was of the wealthy. Also, the fact that Marie-Louise lived in a chateau reveals her class standing. Where chateaus usually were owned by rich people. Finally, the Nazis treatment of Marie-Louise strengthens the fact that she belonged to the upper class. Classes in general can be identified by small aspects. It is interesting how small clues, such as the ones which can be found in Ronald Drez’s edited version of Marie-Louise Osmont, can reveal so much. Through close analysis you can figure out a lot from a source, which in the beginning doesn’t seem to reveal a lot of information.
Bibliography
Primary source:
Osmont, Marie-Louise. ‘’Invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944.’’ www.eyewitnesstohistory.com. Edited by Ronald Drez. Originally published in 2000, re-published on www.eyewitnesstohistory.com in 2010. Accessed this source on 5, Mars, 2014.
This source is an excerpt of Marie-Louise Osmont’s book ‘’The Normandy Diary of Marie-Louise Osmont: 1940-1944’’. The book itself was published on May 5th, 1994. This specific excerpt was edited by Ronald Drez and published on www.eyewitnesshistory.com, year 2000. It was later re-published on the same website in 2010. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/dday.htm
Secondary sources:
1Bonner, Thomas Neville. Becoming a physician: medical education in Britain, France, Germany and the United States, 1750-1945. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
2 http://www.french-at-a-touch.com/Chateaux/the_chateau.htm
Osmont, Marie-Louise. ‘’Invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944.’’ www.eyewitnesstohistory.com. Edited by Ronald Drez. Originally published in 2000, re-published on www.eyewitnesstohistory.com in 2010. Accessed this source on 5, Mars, 2014.
This source is an excerpt of Marie-Louise Osmont’s book ‘’The Normandy Diary of Marie-Louise Osmont: 1940-1944’’. The book itself was published on May 5th, 1994. This specific excerpt was edited by Ronald Drez and published on www.eyewitnesshistory.com, year 2000. It was later re-published on the same website in 2010. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/dday.htm
Secondary sources:
1Bonner, Thomas Neville. Becoming a physician: medical education in Britain, France, Germany and the United States, 1750-1945. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
2 http://www.french-at-a-touch.com/Chateaux/the_chateau.htm
Primary Source
Primary source
Osmont, Marie-Louise. ‘’Invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944.’’ www.eyewitnesstohistory.com. Edited by Ronald Drez. Originally published in 2000, re-published on www.eyewitnesstohistory.com in 2010. Accessed this source on 5, Mars, 2014.
This source is an excerpt of Marie-Louise Osmont’s book ‘’The Normandy Diary of Marie-Louise Osmont: 1940-1944’’. The book itself was published on May 5th, 1994. This specific excerpt was edited by Ronald Drez and published on www.eyewitnesshistory.com, year 2000. It was later re-published on the same website in 2010. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/dday.htm
The main purpose for Marie-Louise’s book was to show that war isn’t only about the soldiers who fight in it, but also the civilians who are caught in the middle of all the fighting. She writes about her experiences with the German occupation, the D-Day fighting and the subsequent occupation by the British troops. She wants to highlight the feelings of the civilians, which in many cases aren’t heard. This book also reflects the thoughts which civilians shared regarding their two different occupiers. All in all, this is a unique account of the Normandy invasion by a perceptive observer caught in the middle of the action.
The purpose for Ronald Drez’s edited excerpt of Marie-Lousie’s book (which is the source I am using) is to show key factors in the initial invasion at Normandy out of Marie-Lousie’s point of view. In this excerpt you can also see examples of Marie-Louise’s thoughts regarding the two different occupiers. Ronald Drez’s excerpt is found in his book ‘’Voices of D-Day: The Story of The Allied Invasion, Told by Those Who Were There.’’ which was published by Louisiana State University press in 1996.
This source is relevant to my topic due to the fact that it reveals clues about Marie-Louise Osmont's social class.
Ronald Drez's edited excerpt of Marie-Louise Osmont's diary
Marie-Louise Osmont lived in a chateau overlooking the Normandy beaches with her husband, a physician. The occupying Germans appropriated the home for their own use after invading France in 1940 but allowed the Osmonts to stay in a few rooms. The house stood near the point on the Normandy coast designated for attack by the British forces - Sword Beach. Marie-Louis kept a diary of her experiences.
Landing!
During the night of June 5-6, 1944, Marie-Louise's sleep is disrupted by the sound of cannon fire and aircraft overhead. The commotion intensifies and the Germans start packing equipment into trucks in preparation of leaving the area. Confused, Marie-Louise is unsure whether the aircraft and gunfire are German or Allied. We join her story as dawn breaks on the 6th of June 1944.
"Little by little the gray dawn comes up., but this time around, from the intensity of the aircraft and the cannon an idea springs to mind: landing! I get dressed hurriedly. I cross the garden, the men recognize me. In one of the foxholes in front of the house, I recognize one of the young men from the office; he has headphones on his ears, the telephone being removed there. Airplanes, cannon right on the coast, almost on us. I cross the road, run to the farm, come across Meltemps. 'Well!' I say, 'Is this it, this time?' 'Yes,' he says, 'I think so, and I'm really afraid we're in a sector that's being attacked; that's going to be something!' We're deafened by the airplanes, which make a never-ending round, very low; obviously what I thought were German airplanes are quite simply English ones, protecting the landing. Coming from the sea, a dense artificial cloud; its ominous and begins to be alarming; the first hiss over our heads. I feel cold; I'm agitated. I go home, dress more warmly, close the doors; I go get Bernice [a neighbor] to get into the trench, a quick bowl of milk, and we run - just in time! The shells hiss and explode continually.
In the trench in the farmyard (the one that was dug in 1940) we find three or four Germans: Leo the cook, his helper, and two others, crouching, not proud except for Leo, who stays outside to watch). We ask them 'Tommy come?" They say yes, with conviction. Morning in the trench, with overhead the hisses and whines that make you bend even lower. For fun Leo fires a rifle shot at a low-flying airplane, but the Spiess[the German Sergeant-Major] appears and chews him out horribly; this is not the time to attract attention. Shells are exploding everywhere, and not far away, with short moments of calm; we take advantage of these to run and deal with the animals, and we return with hearts pounding to burrow into the trench. Each time a shell hisses by too low, I cling to the back of the cook's helper, it makes me feel a little more secure, and he turns around with a vague smile. The fact is that we're all afraid."
The Tanks
Later in the morning a lull in the shelling allows Marie-Louise and her neighbor to return to the farmhouse and prepare their lunch:
American troops make their way to
the beach 6/6/44
"Around noon a bit of a lull. We leave to try to have lunch; I busy myself with the fire, Bernice with the soup and potatoes; it's cooking. We start to seat ourselves around the table, two mouthfuls of soup, and then everything changes with tremendous speed. Someone - a Frenchman on the road, the soldiers at the gate - someone said: 'The Tommies!' We watch the soldiers. They hide on both sides of the gate, watching in the distance in panic, confusion painted on their faces. And suddenly we hear these words: 'The tanks!' A first burst of tracer bullets, very red, sweeps the gate; men crouch down. Bernice and I hide in a corner of the room. There's banging in every direction. We're going to have to go somewhere else. Standing in our corner, we gulp a plate of soup, while the Spiess, who has been shouting orders, comes with his revolver in hand to see whether men are hiding with us. Everything starts happening. Evidently, they're going to try to leave with their trucks. A German tank arrives and takes the Spiess away. The shells bang."
Destruction
The continuing bombardment forces the Frenchwomen to flee the farmhouse for the relative safety of the trench. Around two o'clock in the afternoon the first British soldiers are spotted near the farm. The Germans hold their ground while the two women huddle in the trench:
American troops land under
withering enemy fire 6/6/44
"Around six o'clock a lull. We get out and go toward the house to care for the animals and get things to spend the night underground. And then we see the first damage. Branches of the big walnut broken, roof on the outbuildings heavily damaged, a big hole all the way up, a heap of broken roof tiles on the ground, a few windowpanes at my place - hundreds of slates blown off the chateau, walls cracked, first-floor shutters won't close - but at Bernice's it's worse. An airplane or tank shell has exploded on the paving in her kitchen at the corner of the stairs, and the whole interior of the room is devastated: the big clock, dishes, cooking equipment, walls, everything is riddled with holes, the dishes in broken pieces, as are almost all the windowpanes. The dog Frick that I had shut up in the next room so he wouldn't get killed on the road, is all right and sleeping on a seat. But we realize that if we had stayed there, we would both have been killed. In the face of this certainty, Bernice takes the disaster very well; we try to straighten up the unspeakable mess a little. Out of the question to eat the soup and mashed potatoes that have been prepared; everything is black with dust and full of shards of glass. Someone gives us soup from the farm. We talk with them for a short while and note the Germans haven't taken away all the trucks from the drive; there are also a lot of vehicles still in the park."
Silhouettes
Marie-Louise and Bernice inspect the rest of the house and step outside to find cows lying dead in the pasture. Meanwhile, the battle continues:
"The English tanks are silhouetted from time to time on the road above Periers. Grand impassioned exchanges on the road with the people from the farm; we are all stupefied by the suddenness of events. I take a few steps down the drive, toward the Deveraux house, and suddenly I see the replacement Speiss and his comrade hugging the wall of the pasture. I tell him that he must still have comrades at the guns, since we can still hear the battery firing. You feel that these two men are lost, disorientated, sad. Later, almost night, I see them again, their faces deliberately blackened with charcoal, crossing the park. What will be their fate? How many of them are still in the area, hiding and watching?"
Landing!
During the night of June 5-6, 1944, Marie-Louise's sleep is disrupted by the sound of cannon fire and aircraft overhead. The commotion intensifies and the Germans start packing equipment into trucks in preparation of leaving the area. Confused, Marie-Louise is unsure whether the aircraft and gunfire are German or Allied. We join her story as dawn breaks on the 6th of June 1944.
"Little by little the gray dawn comes up., but this time around, from the intensity of the aircraft and the cannon an idea springs to mind: landing! I get dressed hurriedly. I cross the garden, the men recognize me. In one of the foxholes in front of the house, I recognize one of the young men from the office; he has headphones on his ears, the telephone being removed there. Airplanes, cannon right on the coast, almost on us. I cross the road, run to the farm, come across Meltemps. 'Well!' I say, 'Is this it, this time?' 'Yes,' he says, 'I think so, and I'm really afraid we're in a sector that's being attacked; that's going to be something!' We're deafened by the airplanes, which make a never-ending round, very low; obviously what I thought were German airplanes are quite simply English ones, protecting the landing. Coming from the sea, a dense artificial cloud; its ominous and begins to be alarming; the first hiss over our heads. I feel cold; I'm agitated. I go home, dress more warmly, close the doors; I go get Bernice [a neighbor] to get into the trench, a quick bowl of milk, and we run - just in time! The shells hiss and explode continually.
In the trench in the farmyard (the one that was dug in 1940) we find three or four Germans: Leo the cook, his helper, and two others, crouching, not proud except for Leo, who stays outside to watch). We ask them 'Tommy come?" They say yes, with conviction. Morning in the trench, with overhead the hisses and whines that make you bend even lower. For fun Leo fires a rifle shot at a low-flying airplane, but the Spiess[the German Sergeant-Major] appears and chews him out horribly; this is not the time to attract attention. Shells are exploding everywhere, and not far away, with short moments of calm; we take advantage of these to run and deal with the animals, and we return with hearts pounding to burrow into the trench. Each time a shell hisses by too low, I cling to the back of the cook's helper, it makes me feel a little more secure, and he turns around with a vague smile. The fact is that we're all afraid."
The Tanks
Later in the morning a lull in the shelling allows Marie-Louise and her neighbor to return to the farmhouse and prepare their lunch:
American troops make their way to
the beach 6/6/44
"Around noon a bit of a lull. We leave to try to have lunch; I busy myself with the fire, Bernice with the soup and potatoes; it's cooking. We start to seat ourselves around the table, two mouthfuls of soup, and then everything changes with tremendous speed. Someone - a Frenchman on the road, the soldiers at the gate - someone said: 'The Tommies!' We watch the soldiers. They hide on both sides of the gate, watching in the distance in panic, confusion painted on their faces. And suddenly we hear these words: 'The tanks!' A first burst of tracer bullets, very red, sweeps the gate; men crouch down. Bernice and I hide in a corner of the room. There's banging in every direction. We're going to have to go somewhere else. Standing in our corner, we gulp a plate of soup, while the Spiess, who has been shouting orders, comes with his revolver in hand to see whether men are hiding with us. Everything starts happening. Evidently, they're going to try to leave with their trucks. A German tank arrives and takes the Spiess away. The shells bang."
Destruction
The continuing bombardment forces the Frenchwomen to flee the farmhouse for the relative safety of the trench. Around two o'clock in the afternoon the first British soldiers are spotted near the farm. The Germans hold their ground while the two women huddle in the trench:
American troops land under
withering enemy fire 6/6/44
"Around six o'clock a lull. We get out and go toward the house to care for the animals and get things to spend the night underground. And then we see the first damage. Branches of the big walnut broken, roof on the outbuildings heavily damaged, a big hole all the way up, a heap of broken roof tiles on the ground, a few windowpanes at my place - hundreds of slates blown off the chateau, walls cracked, first-floor shutters won't close - but at Bernice's it's worse. An airplane or tank shell has exploded on the paving in her kitchen at the corner of the stairs, and the whole interior of the room is devastated: the big clock, dishes, cooking equipment, walls, everything is riddled with holes, the dishes in broken pieces, as are almost all the windowpanes. The dog Frick that I had shut up in the next room so he wouldn't get killed on the road, is all right and sleeping on a seat. But we realize that if we had stayed there, we would both have been killed. In the face of this certainty, Bernice takes the disaster very well; we try to straighten up the unspeakable mess a little. Out of the question to eat the soup and mashed potatoes that have been prepared; everything is black with dust and full of shards of glass. Someone gives us soup from the farm. We talk with them for a short while and note the Germans haven't taken away all the trucks from the drive; there are also a lot of vehicles still in the park."
Silhouettes
Marie-Louise and Bernice inspect the rest of the house and step outside to find cows lying dead in the pasture. Meanwhile, the battle continues:
"The English tanks are silhouetted from time to time on the road above Periers. Grand impassioned exchanges on the road with the people from the farm; we are all stupefied by the suddenness of events. I take a few steps down the drive, toward the Deveraux house, and suddenly I see the replacement Speiss and his comrade hugging the wall of the pasture. I tell him that he must still have comrades at the guns, since we can still hear the battery firing. You feel that these two men are lost, disorientated, sad. Later, almost night, I see them again, their faces deliberately blackened with charcoal, crossing the park. What will be their fate? How many of them are still in the area, hiding and watching?"
Media gallery
This picture demonstrates a classic French chateau. In the Ronald Drez's edited excerpt of Marie-Louise diary, you can read that Marie-Louise lives in a house such as this one. As mentioned in the essay, chateaus were for the rich and that is why the conclusion of Marie-Louise belonging to the upper class can be drawn.
This is a picture that shows how capitalism led to classes being defined by money. As you can see at the very top, money is controlling us.
This pictures shows the allied forces in the after match of the invasion of Normandy. It shows the massive scale of the invasion where 1.3 million allied forces were involved. The invasion of Normandy is what Marie-Louise Osmont writes about in her diary.
This picture shows the printed version of Marie-Louise Osmont's diary, ''The Normandy Diary of Marie-Louise Osmont''. In the picture which is printed on the book, you can see Marie-Louise and her husband, who was a physician.