Description:
This is a book which seeks to challenge a major myth about the first world war, and to describe the consequences of that myth throughout the war. That myth is that the masses of the European countries vigorously and optimistically applauded the declaration of war in August 1914. Uncounted textbooks and middlebrow documentaries have referred to this primordial chauvinism and naivetee. But is it true?Verhey's book is about Germany, and in what is roughly the first half of his book, he answers no. The demonstrations that occurred in late July 1914 were largely middle class and urban, with university students playing a particularly prominent part. The working classes showed little enthusiasm, the marches were smaller than many previous Socialist demonstrations (as well as Socialist calls against war), and the countryside and smaller centers were largely quiet. Verhey demonstrates these facts by copious sources such as newspapers, the large secondary literature, and whatever archival sources he can find. A problem develops here. When the war began the German government concluded that the war was sufficiently popular enough that it would not bother its agents with reporting popular opinion. So Verhey must look for other sources. One source is underdeveloped in my view. It has long been argued by the supporters of German Social Democracy that they voted for war credits because they feared being abandoned by the working class. Verhey argues that German Social Democrats in fact were rarely influenced by this source, not surprisingly given his thesis of working class unenthusiasm. But I believe there is not sufficient attention paid to the papers of Social Democratic leaders in order to learn how their opinions developed.As for the second half of the book, about how the myth of 1914 percolated throughout society, it is comparatively bland and rather straightforward. There are some interesting accounts of the failure of pro-war groups to cross class divides, and there is an interesting deflation of the Rightist Fatherland Party, which according to Verhey was not a proto-Nazi populist movement, but another unsuccessful political mobilization by the elites. Otherwise, there is much talk about myth and propaganda and the general failure of the myth of 1914, which gives the second half a somewhat padded feeling.
ebook img

The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) PDF

285 Pages·2000·2.253 MB·English
by  Jeffrey Verhey
#
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download

Download The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) PDF Free - Full Version

by Jeffrey Verhey| 2000| 285 pages| 2.253| English

Download The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) by Jeffrey Verhey in PDF format completely FREE. No registration required, no payment needed. Get instant access to this valuable resource on PDFdrive.to!

Free Download PDF

About The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare)

This is a book which seeks to challenge a major myth about the first world war, and to describe the consequences of that myth throughout the war. That myth is that the masses of the European countries vigorously and optimistically applauded the declaration of war in August 1914. Uncounted textbooks and middlebrow documentaries have referred to this primordial chauvinism and naivetee. But is it true?Verhey's book is about Germany, and in what is roughly the first half of his book, he answers no. The demonstrations that occurred in late July 1914 were largely middle class and urban, with university students playing a particularly prominent part. The working classes showed little enthusiasm, the marches were smaller than many previous Socialist demonstrations (as well as Socialist calls against war), and the countryside and smaller centers were largely quiet. Verhey demonstrates these facts by copious sources such as newspapers, the large secondary literature, and whatever archival sources he can find. A problem develops here. When the war began the German government concluded that the war was sufficiently popular enough that it would not bother its agents with reporting popular opinion. So Verhey must look for other sources. One source is underdeveloped in my view. It has long been argued by the supporters of German Social Democracy that they voted for war credits because they feared being abandoned by the working class. Verhey argues that German Social Democrats in fact were rarely influenced by this source, not surprisingly given his thesis of working class unenthusiasm. But I believe there is not sufficient attention paid to the papers of Social Democratic leaders in order to learn how their opinions developed.As for the second half of the book, about how the myth of 1914 percolated throughout society, it is comparatively bland and rather straightforward. There are some interesting accounts of the failure of pro-war groups to cross class divides, and there is an interesting deflation of the Rightist Fatherland Party, which according to Verhey was not a proto-Nazi populist movement, but another unsuccessful political mobilization by the elites. Otherwise, there is much talk about myth and propaganda and the general failure of the myth of 1914, which gives the second half a somewhat padded feeling.

Detailed Information

Author:Jeffrey Verhey
Publication Year:2000
ISBN:9780511008481
Pages:285
Language:English
File Size:2.253
Format:PDF
Price:FREE
Download Free PDF

Safe & Secure Download - No registration required

Why Choose PDFdrive for Your Free The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) Download?

  • 100% Free: No hidden fees or subscriptions required for one book every day.
  • No Registration: Immediate access is available without creating accounts for one book every day.
  • Safe and Secure: Clean downloads without malware or viruses
  • Multiple Formats: PDF, MOBI, Mpub,... optimized for all devices
  • Educational Resource: Supporting knowledge sharing and learning

Free Books Similar to The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really free to download The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) PDF?

Yes, on https://PDFdrive.to you can download The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) by Jeffrey Verhey completely free. We don't require any payment, subscription, or registration to access this PDF file. For 3 books every day.

How can I read The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) on my mobile device?

After downloading The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) PDF, you can open it with any PDF reader app on your phone or tablet. We recommend using Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Books, or Google Play Books for the best reading experience.

Is this the full version of The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare)?

Yes, this is the complete PDF version of The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) by Jeffrey Verhey. You will be able to read the entire content as in the printed version without missing any pages.

Is it legal to download The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare) PDF for free?

https://PDFdrive.to provides links to free educational resources available online. We do not store any files on our servers. Please be aware of copyright laws in your country before downloading.

The materials shared are intended for research, educational, and personal use in accordance with fair use principles.

We use cookies

We use cookies to ensure you get the best browsing experience on our website. By clicking "Accept Cookies", you agree that we can store cookies on your device in accordance with our Terms and Privacy.