Beyond the Tricolour explores the history of internationalism through individuals and political organizations who took practical action in defense of internationalist principles.
Birchall looks at committed internationalists who argued against nationalism, racism and war but have too often been neglected by mainstream history. The book focuses on the context of French history, and the French socialist and working-class movement in particular. Beginning from the defense of Dreyfus against anti-Semitism, it covers antimilitarism before 1914, opposition to the First World War, the advent of Communism, then the rise of Stalinism, fraternization with German soldiers during the Nazi occupation, and support for national independence in Indochina and Algeria.
Publication date: June 23, 2026
Preface: The Struggle for Internationalism
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Some Key Dates
1 The Myth of France
2 Precursors
3 Laïcité and Its Critics
4 Dreyfus: The First Test Failed
5 In The Shadow of War
1 Antimilitarism
2 Le Sou du Soldat
3 La Vie ouvrière
4 Impending War
6 From Slaughter to Mutiny
1 Romain Rolland
2 Zimmerwald
3 Trench Warfare
4 The Home Front
5 Mutiny
6 Revolution in Russia
7 Naval Mutinies
7 A Time For Hope
1 Founding of the PCF
2 The Baku Congress
3 Rosmer and the RILU
4 Anti-Colonialism
5 Le Paria
6 Occupation of the Ruhr
7 Hadj-Ali Abdelkader
8 The Rif War
9 Lamine Senghor
10 Clarté
8 Midnight in the Century
1 Popular Front
2 The Colonial Exhibition
3 Indochina
4 The Rise of Fascism
5 The Spanish War
6 Victor Serge
7 In Defence of Immigrants
8 Impending War
9 World War II
1 Nazi Occupation
2 Resistance
3 The Communist Party
4 International Resistance
5 Trotskyism
6 Martin Monath
7 Nazi Camps
8 Liberation
10 War in Indochina
1 Sétif
2 Vietnamese Independence
3 Claude Lefort
4 SFIO Youth
5 Cold War
6 Anti-War Action
7 Henri Martin
8 André Marty
9 French Troops
10 Boudarel
11 Dien Bien Phu
11 Carrying Suitcases for Algeria
1 The FLN
2 Guy Mollet
3 Special Powers
4 Anarchists
5 Trotskyists
6 Lyotard
7 PCI
8 La Voie communiste
9 Francis Jeanson
10 Suitcase-Carriers
11 Renault
12 Conscript Revolt
13 Settlers
14 Fernand Iveton
15 Henri Alleg
16 De Gaulle’s Return
17 The Manifesto of 121
18 The October Massacre
19 Independent Algeria
Conclusion: The Struggle Goes On
Bibliography
Index
