History 1040
The Great War
20 September
In this class will examine the "myths," if they are myths, about the enthusiasm for war in 1914. Many Historians now dispute this and argue that nations did not great the war with the enthusiasm we have come associate with 1914. That leads us to question the role of the State in mobilizing their peoples for war.
For an example of mobilization for war read this article and view the posters from each combatant nation: http://www.firstworldwar.com/posters/index.htm
View the opening scene from All Quiet on the Western Front: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEHFIyaBWvs
Go to Courseweb - Video Files - "War Children" and watch the clip of the children. What they said is what children were taught before the war.
22 September
Today will deal with the "Beginning of the War and the beginnings of Total War."
READING ASSIGNMENTS FOR NEXT WEEK:
Readings for next Tuesday 27 September:
15-44 in 14-18: Understanding the Great War
134-148 in Strachan
253-256 in Strachan
The Western Front and the Birth of Total War - Dr. Stephen Badsey
RECOMMENDED BUT NOT REQUIRED: Go to YouTube to listen to various poems from the Great War illustrating the shift from the 19th Century to the 20th Century War. These are a bit creepy, but very interesting!
Isaac Rosenberg - Break of Day in the Trenches
Rupert Brooke - The Soldier
Laurence Binyon - For the Fallen
John McCrae - In Flanders Fields
Allen Seeger - Rendezvous with Death
Wilfred Owen - Anthem for Doomed Youth and BBC Education Site on Owen
Siegfried Sassoon - The Dug Out
Readings for next Thursday 29 September:
Download:
Courseweb - Powerpoints - The Great Battles - Bring to class
Read:
83-93 in Fero
179-204 in Strachan
BBC article on The Battle of the Somme - Animated Map of the Battle - Very Short
PBS on the Battle of the Somme and the Year of Slaughter - Very Short
Imperial War Museum on the Battle of the Somme - Browse through this as it gives you something to look at in the interpretation of the battle.
Henri Barbusse "Under Fire" (excerpt)
For entire book, Under Fire - Not required
Browse through the following sites.
The Human Experience - BBC - use this site to also look for the Front Line Experience
The Trench Experience - The Guardian
Watch:
Highly Recommended for next Thursday:
Ernst Junger - This is an interesting site in that, like Hitler, Junger saw the Great War as the defining point of his life and, in effect, he never really left the trenches.
Go to, listen to and view:
Images and newsreel - Real Audio from the BBC and the Imperial War Museum - Very moving video.
Archive radio interviews - "There was nothing but brown earth, shell holes and death"
Watch:
Go to YouTube and type in "The Battle of the Somme" and watch through some of the videos there.
Primary Documents
The Wipers Times - British Trench Newspaper