Enduring the Great War

Combat, Morale and Collapse in the German and British Armies, 1914-1918
Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-0-521-88101-2
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 312 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 650 g

Reihe: Cambridge Military Histories

An innovative comparative history of how German and British soldiers endured the horror of the First World War. Unlike existing literature, which emphasises the strength of societies or military institutions, this study argues that at the heart of armies' robustness lay natural human resilience. Drawing widely on contemporary letters and diaries of British and German soldiers, psychiatric reports and official documentation, and interpreting these sources with modern psychological research, this unique account provides new insights into the soldiers' fears, motivations and coping mechanisms. It explains why the British outlasted their opponents by examining and comparing the motives for fighting, the effectiveness with which armies and societies supported men and the combatants' morale throughout the conflict on both sides. Finally it challenges the current consensus on the war's end, arguing that not a 'covert strike' but rather an 'ordered surrender' led by junior officers brought about Germany's defeat in 1918.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Watson, Alexander

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Europäische Länder
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Militärgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; 1. War of endurance; 2. Why men fought: combat motivation in the trenches; 3. Self-deception and survival: mental coping strategies; 4. Junior leadership: command, cohesion and combat motivation; 5. Morale and military endurance; 6. The German collapse in 1918: strike, mutiny or an ordered surrender?; Conclusion; Appendix 1: Walter Ludwig's study of Württemberg soldiers' coping strategies; Appendix 2: Psychiatric casualties in the German and British armies; Appendix 3: Military ranks and status in the German and British armies.

Über Autor(innen)

Watson, Alexander
Alexander Watson is a Research Fellow at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge.