The thesis explores the historical origins of the Theatre of the Absurd in the experience of the war, occupation, and postwar world in France. ‘Theatre of the Absurd’ is a term coined in 1960 to describe a significant body of theatrical work, written, and staged, which emerged following the war. Nevertheless, the nature of its themes and the frequent rejection of the term ‘Absurdism’ by key playwrights made categorisation difficult. This thesis brings together historical scholarship and an analysis of the early plays to increase understanding of both. Absurdist Theatre, written from the early 1940s through to the 1960s, was created in a period where nations across the world were seeking to understand how the fracturing experience of World War II had impacted their identity and future. As the reality and images of war are increasingly brought to homes in today’s world, understanding how previous societies have explored meaning in the face of this experience continues to be useful. This thesis argues that the contemporary context is essential to understanding Absurdism, which used the uniquely effective medium of theatre to expose the starkness of the human condition and to question the meaning of existence.