The First World War is often studied with a focus on military and political developments, events on the Western front, and individual countries such as Britain, France, or Germany. Informed by recent historiographical debates and important new studies, this course will take a different approach. First, it will pay more attention to the global dimension. Students will learn about the battles in Flanders and on the Somme, but also consider campaigns on the Eastern front, in the Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. They will investigate the role and perception of colonial troops in the European theatre of war and examine war efforts of countries such as Romania and the Ottoman Empire, Japan and Australia.
Second, there is a strong emphasis on the social and cultural history of the war. Topics to be discussed include the psychological effects of 'industrialised slaughter', atrocities against non-combatant civilians (e.g. in Belgium and Armenia), captivity and occupation, state propaganda and the spiritual mobilization of intellectuals, as well as processes of social change with regard to home and family life, gender and class. Students will also look at the representation of war in high and popular culture, and study issues of memory and remembrance.
The module will explore the impact of war on European and non-European states, societies, and cultures in a comparative way, and draw on a wide range of primary sources, including novels, visual images, and film. To what extent did the war produce a fundamental rupture in history, coming to constitute the 'birth of the modern age'?
Second, there is a strong emphasis on the social and cultural history of the war. Topics to be discussed include the psychological effects of 'industrialised slaughter', atrocities against non-combatant civilians (e.g. in Belgium and Armenia), captivity and occupation, state propaganda and the spiritual mobilization of intellectuals, as well as processes of social change with regard to home and family life, gender and class. Students will also look at the representation of war in high and popular culture, and study issues of memory and remembrance.
The module will explore the impact of war on European and non-European states, societies, and cultures in a comparative way, and draw on a wide range of primary sources, including novels, visual images, and film. To what extent did the war produce a fundamental rupture in history, coming to constitute the 'birth of the modern age'?