14-18, Understanding the Great War14-18, Understanding the Great War
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Book, 2002
Current format, Book, 2002, 1st American ed, Available .Book, 2002
Current format, Book, 2002, 1st American ed, Available . Offered in 0 more formatsA challenging new analysis of the "Great War" looks deeply into the swirling quagmire of violence, racism, and grief stirred up by the war and traces the influence of these strong emotions on the course of European history. 10,000 first printing.
An analysis of the Great War looks deeply into the swirling quagmire of violence, racism, and grief stirred up by the war and traces the influence of these strong emotions on the course of European history.
This book shows the Great War was the matrix on which all subsequent disasters of the twentieth century were formed. Stephane Audoin-Rouzeau and Annette Becker examine three neglected but highly significant aspects of the conflict, each of which changed national and international affairs forever.
First, the war was unprecedented in its physical violence and destruction: Why was this so? What were the effects of tolerating it for four long years? Second, not just the soldiers but also the citizens of all the belligerent states seemed motivated and exalted by a vehement nationalistic, racist animus against the enemy: How had this "crusade" mentality evolved? Did it ever dissipate? Third, with its millions of deaths the war created a tidal wave of grief, since tens of millions of people worldwide were bereaved: How could the mourners come to terms with the agonizing pain? These elements, all too often overlooked or denied, are the ones we must come to grips with if we are ever going to understand the Great War.
Audoin-Rouzeau (U. of Picardy Jules Verne) and Becker (U. of Paris X-Nanterre) are directors of an international museum on World War I at the Chateau de PTrone. In light of renewed interest following the 80th anniversary, they explore how it lay the foundation on which subsequent conflicts of the 20th rose. +ditions Gallimard published the original 14-18, retrouver la Guerre in 2000; the English translation was published in 2002 by Profile Books in Britain with the dates expanded. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
A bold new assessment of how the violence, racist nationalism, and grief aroused in 1914-18 changed the course of history To many, the years of the Great War seemed to signal Europe's collective suicide. A century later, the conflict continues to dominate the imagination of the West--not least because it became the matrix from which all subsequent disasters emerged. The authors of 14-18: Understanding the Great War have set aside the overly familiar scholarly tasks--assigning responsibility for the war, accounting for its battles, assessing its causes--and instead examine three neglected but highly significant aspects of the conflict, each of which changed national and international affairs forever. First, the war was unprecedented in its physical violence: Why was this so, and what were the effects of tolerating it? Second, each side seemed motivated and exalted by a vehement nationalistic, racist animus against the enemy: How did this "crusade" mentality evolve, and what did it mean for Europe and the world? Third, with its millions of deaths the war created a tidal wave of grief: How could the mourners ever come to terms with the agonizing pain? These are the elements that are vital to understanding the Great War. With its strikingly original interpretative strength and its wealth of compelling documentary evidence drawn from all sides in the conflict, this innovative work has quickly established itself as a classic in the history of modern warfare.
An analysis of the Great War looks deeply into the swirling quagmire of violence, racism, and grief stirred up by the war and traces the influence of these strong emotions on the course of European history.
This book shows the Great War was the matrix on which all subsequent disasters of the twentieth century were formed. Stephane Audoin-Rouzeau and Annette Becker examine three neglected but highly significant aspects of the conflict, each of which changed national and international affairs forever.
First, the war was unprecedented in its physical violence and destruction: Why was this so? What were the effects of tolerating it for four long years? Second, not just the soldiers but also the citizens of all the belligerent states seemed motivated and exalted by a vehement nationalistic, racist animus against the enemy: How had this "crusade" mentality evolved? Did it ever dissipate? Third, with its millions of deaths the war created a tidal wave of grief, since tens of millions of people worldwide were bereaved: How could the mourners come to terms with the agonizing pain? These elements, all too often overlooked or denied, are the ones we must come to grips with if we are ever going to understand the Great War.
Audoin-Rouzeau (U. of Picardy Jules Verne) and Becker (U. of Paris X-Nanterre) are directors of an international museum on World War I at the Chateau de PTrone. In light of renewed interest following the 80th anniversary, they explore how it lay the foundation on which subsequent conflicts of the 20th rose. +ditions Gallimard published the original 14-18, retrouver la Guerre in 2000; the English translation was published in 2002 by Profile Books in Britain with the dates expanded. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
A bold new assessment of how the violence, racist nationalism, and grief aroused in 1914-18 changed the course of history To many, the years of the Great War seemed to signal Europe's collective suicide. A century later, the conflict continues to dominate the imagination of the West--not least because it became the matrix from which all subsequent disasters emerged. The authors of 14-18: Understanding the Great War have set aside the overly familiar scholarly tasks--assigning responsibility for the war, accounting for its battles, assessing its causes--and instead examine three neglected but highly significant aspects of the conflict, each of which changed national and international affairs forever. First, the war was unprecedented in its physical violence: Why was this so, and what were the effects of tolerating it? Second, each side seemed motivated and exalted by a vehement nationalistic, racist animus against the enemy: How did this "crusade" mentality evolve, and what did it mean for Europe and the world? Third, with its millions of deaths the war created a tidal wave of grief: How could the mourners ever come to terms with the agonizing pain? These are the elements that are vital to understanding the Great War. With its strikingly original interpretative strength and its wealth of compelling documentary evidence drawn from all sides in the conflict, this innovative work has quickly established itself as a classic in the history of modern warfare.
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- New York : Hill and Wang, c2002.
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