Female Resistance Fighters and Their Motivations

What leads a woman to resist? What makes a woman, the traditional nurturer of the family unit, take up arms or actively engage in resistance? In the case of WWII Nazi occupied Europe, a number of reasons inspired female resistance fighters: religion, politics, love of country and personal experience. In the 21st century, similar reasons have inspired a new generation of female resistance fighters whom the western world has dubbed "terrorists" and/or "suicide bombers." This paper will examine the commonalities between the experiences of female resistance fighters in occupied Europe, primarily France, Italy, Hungary and Poland, and the new generation of female resistance fighters in an effort to better understand why a woman would turn to terrorist tactics. By examining the motives of these women resistance fighters, past and present, US military planners can better adapt to this "not so new" innovation in the war against terrorism.