Kursinformation

This class is a social, cultural, and political history of a global conflict that constituted a major turning point in European history and profoundly shaped the rest of the twentieth century. Although this war is often imagined as a war fought only by Europeans in Europe, it was not. In 1914, European empires went to war and men from colonies volunteered or were conscripted. They fought in theatres of war around the world and the conflict drew in other nations such as China. As we examine the different combatants and theaters of the war, we will learn what it was like for soldiers and civilians to live through the period 1914 to 1919. Themes will include the horrors of trench warfare, war in European colonies, in the air, and at sea, comradeship across the front lines, women at home and at war, myths of the war, the literary response to the war, conscientious objection, and the impact of the war on society. We will also study loss, grief, and commemoration. You will approach these issues by reading poetry and novels supplemented by visual sources: archival film, maps, photographs, cartoons, and paintings.