First World War

I Carabinieri Reali al fronte nella Grande Guerra (co-authored with Filippo Cappellano)

by Flavio Carbone

published in Nicola Labanca, Giorgio Rochat (a cura di), Il soldato, la guerra e il rischio di morire, Milano, Unicopli Edizioni, 2006, pp. 167-214.

Working with the co-author and with different visions the co-author tried to underline the effort based on the... more Working with the co-author and with different visions the co-author tried to underline the effort based on the mobilisation of a very important numbers of Carabinieri to support the action of the Armed Forces during the First World War.

"Dressed to Kill: The Sex of the Wars in Faulkner and Cather"

by Paula Elyseu Mesquita

in Irene Ramalho Santos and António Ribeiro , eds. *Translocal Modernisms - International Perspectives*, Transatlantic Aesthetics and Culture Series, Peter Lang, 2008.

This reading analyzes the use of the war motif in the representation of sociosexual tension in William Faulkner's *The... more This reading analyzes the use of the war motif in the representation of sociosexual tension in William Faulkner's *The Unvanquished* and Willa Cather's *One of Ours.*

The First World War Revisited: A Review of Adrian Gregory's "The Last Great War: British Society and the First World War"

by Michael Chiarello

Review Essay.  Gregory, Adrian. The Last Great War: British Society and the First World War. Cambridge: Cambridge... more Review Essay.  Gregory, Adrian. The Last Great War: British Society and the First World War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Osmanlı Bahriyesinin İlk Deniz Uçağı "Curtiss F Boat" ve Deniz Havacılığının Temelleri

by Serhat Guvenc

Book Review:Guns of August

by Mark Bound

Thomas Kühne & Benjamin Ziemann,.„La renovacion de la Histora Militar. Conynuturas, interpretaciones, conceptos,“ in Semata. Ciencias Sociais e Humanidades 19 (2008): 304-347, Spanish translation of „Militärgeschichte in der Erweiterung. Konjunkturen, Interpretationen, Konzepte,“ in idem, eds., Was ist Militärgeschichte? (Paderborn: Schöningh, 2000): 9-46.

by Thomas Kühne

‘Weeping tears of blood’: Exploring Italian soldiers’ emotions in the First World War

by Vanda Wilcox

published in 'Modern Italy' volume 17, issue 2 (May 2012)

Emotion plays a vital role in any rounded history of warfare, both as an element in morale and as a component in... more Emotion plays a vital role in any rounded history of warfare, both as an element in morale and as a component in understanding the soldier's experience. Theories on the functioning of emotions vary, but an exploration of Italian soldiers’ emotions during the First World War highlights both cognitive and cultural elements in the ways emotions were experienced and expressed. Although Italian stereotypes of passivity and resignation dominated contemporary discourse concerning the feelings and reactions of peasant conscripts, letters reveal that Italian soldiers vividly expressed a wide range of intense emotions. Focusing on fear, horror and grief as recurrent themes, this article finds that these emotions were processed and expressed in ways which show similarities to the combatants of other nations but which also display distinctly Italian features. The language and imagery commonly deployed offer insights into the ways in which Italian socio-cultural norms shaped expressions of personal war experience. In letters that drew on both religious imagery and the traditional peasant concerns of land, terrain and basic survival, soldiers expressed their fears of death, isolation, suffering and killing in surprisingly vigorous terms.

Für Kaiser und Allah. Ostafrikas Muslime im Grossen Krieg für die Zivilisation, 1914-1919

by Michael Pesek

Die Auferstehung des Kriegshelden aus dem Bett des Offiziers. Die Konstruktion kolonialer Maskulinität im Ersten Weltkrieg

by Michael Pesek

Sauvons les Bébés: Child Health and U.S. Humanitarian Aid in the First World War Era

by Julia Irwin

Bulletin of the History of Medicine (2012)

From 1917 to 1923, the American Red Cross organized an array of long-term child health projects in Europe as part of... more From 1917 to 1923, the American Red Cross organized an array of long-term child health projects in Europe as part of its larger wartime and post-war humanitarian efforts. Across the continent, the organization established child health clinics, better baby shows, playgrounds, fresh air camps, and courses for women on infant and child hygiene. Hundreds of U.S. doctors, nurses, and other child welfare professionals traveled to Europe to administer these programs. These activities call attention to American efforts to reform the health of European youth and, in so doing, to reshape European medicine and European society more broadly. Moreover, they suggest the importance of child-centered medical relief—and the history of medicine more broadly—to the history of U.S. foreign relations.

La mémoire européenne à l'heure du "paradigme victimaire" (European Memory in the Age of "Victimization Paradigm"), in Stella Ghervas & F. Rosset (eds), "Lieux d'Europe. Mythes et limites", Paris, Editions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme, 2008, p. 215-243.

by Stella Ghervas

Co-authored with R. Sigist. Published in Stella Ghervas & F. Rosset (eds), "Lieux d'Europe. Mythes et limites", Paris, Editions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme, 2008, p. 215-243.

Continent riche en histoire et en culture, l’Europe se conçoit pourtant moins comme héritage que comme projet... more Continent riche en histoire et en culture, l’Europe se conçoit pourtant moins comme héritage que comme projet politique et social. En se dotant de symboles étatiques comme le drapeau, la monnaie ou l’hymne, l’Union européenne a bien marqué sa volonté de concrétiser ce projet. Mais en exprimer l’essence d’une manière claire et reconnaissable, de manière à susciter l’adhésion des citoyens potentiels, est une tout autre tâche, que ces symboles abstraits ne suffisent pas à exécuter. Seul l’euro, avec sa symbolique de l’ouverture (carte sans frontières, ponts, fenêtres), est capable d’exprimer une faible partie des valeurs dont se réclame la nouvelle fédération européenne. Pour le reste, on pourrait se demander en quoi consiste le vécu commun des Européens d’aujourd’hui, si ce n’est précisément en l’utilisation d’une monnaie commune, ou l’organisation de manifestations sportives comme les coupes européennes de football.

Historiquement, c’est bien la volonté de dépasser les identités nationales classiques, et les conflits qu’elles ont engendrés notamment au xxe siècle, qui fut à l’origine de la construction européenne.

The First World War between Memory and History: A Conference Retrospective

by Christopher Schultz

Co-authored with Jonathan Weier, Canadian Military History, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Autumn 2011): 75-80.

Long after the guns of the First World War went silent on November 11th, 1918, the events of those four years of war... more Long after the guns of the First World War went silent on November 11th, 1918, the events of those four years of war continue to spark debate at a variety of levels, both academic and popular, and private and public. The many points of contention were on full display at the "From Memory to History" conference, hosted by Western University in London, Ontario, over three days in November, 2011. Scholars and enthusiasts from around the world gathered to share, debate and ultimately demonstrate that the war's many legacies are still open to interpretation, even as the centenary of the war's outbreak approaches. Perhaps the most crucial lesson learned is that both memory and history are malleable concepts, prone to revision at all turns, and that there are still many narratives in many disciplines that are yet untold--even with an event as well-documented as the First World War.

The League of Nations: A Retreat from International Law?

by Stephen Wertheim

forthcoming in Journal of Global History Vol. 7 No. 2 (2012)

During the First World War, civil society groups across the North Atlantic put forward an array of plans for recasting... more During the First World War, civil society groups across the North Atlantic put forward an array of plans for recasting international society. The most prominent ones sought to build on the Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907 by developing international legal codes and, in a drastic innovation, obligating and militarily enforcing the judicial settlement of disputes. Their ideal was a world governed by law, which they opposed to politics. This idea was championed by the largest groups in the United States and France in favor of international organization, and they had likeminded counterparts in Britain. The Anglo-American architects of the League of Nations, however, defined their vision against legalism. Their declaratory design sought to ensure that artificial machinery never stifled the growth of common consciousness. Paradoxically, the bold new experiment in international organization was forged from an anti-formalistic ethos — one that slowed the momentum of international law and portended the rise of global governance.

The Iraqi Mandate: An Examination of the Relationship between Britain and Iraq In the Aftermath of the First World War

by Victoria Whitecotton

HIST351 History of Iraq Class Research Paper

“Helden des Todes. Zur Sakralisierung von Männlichkeit und Tod”, in: Böhm, D.; Livings, F. (ed.): Erscheinungen des Sakralen. Reimer Verlag 2011, p. 145-161

by Ulrike Brunotte

Remembering and forgetting the Great War in New York City

by Ross Wilson

First World War Studies Volume 3, Issue 1, 2012, p.87-106

This article examines the history of the Great War in New York City and the means by which it has been remembered and... more This article examines the history of the Great War in New York City and the means by which it has been remembered and forgotten through the presence and absence of war memorials. New York City played a unique role in the history of the Great War, contributing to the war effort even before the declaration of war by the United States in 1917. The wartime experiences in the city were accompanied by political and racial tensions as fears of foreign influences undermining the city and the wider nation were ever-present. In a city which had witnessed large-scale immigration over the preceding century, fears of unrest or unpatriotic and un-American behaviour preoccupied both the city and the federal government. Nevertheless, the wartime contribution of the city's foreign-born residents was substantial as large numbers registered for military service. As a means of reaffirming the principles of patriotism and an ‘American’ identity for the city, after the Armistice the official bodies and veterans groups worked to develop a singular expression or ‘spirit’ for the local war memorials. As the schemes for a central war memorial for the city floundered, the local memorials served as a means for residents to adopt and adapt this hegemonic expression of ‘American’ identity and form specific memories of the war for each community.

Enrico Rocchi, ingegnere militare e storico. [Enrico Rocchi, military engineer and historian]

by Piero Cimbolli Spagnesi

In: QUADERNI DELL'ISTITUTO DI STORIA DELL'ARCHITETTURA, ns, 44-50, 2004-2007 (Saggi in onore di Gaetano Miarelli Mariani. A cura di M.P. Sette, M. Caperna, M. Docci, M.G. Turco. Roma 2007); pp. 261-272. ISBN 978-88-7597-401-5, ISSN 0485-4152

Thomas Kühne, Review of: Sonja Levsen, Elite, Männlichkeit und Krieg. Tübinger und Cambridger Studenten 1900-1929, (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2006), and Martin Dinges (ed.), Männer – Macht – Körper. Hegemoniale Männlichkeiten vom Mittelalter bis heute (Frankfurt: Campus, 2005), reviewed for Neue Politische Literatur, vol. 51 (2006): 131-134.

by Thomas Kühne

The Burial of the Dead: the British Army on the Western Front, 1914–18

by Ross Wilson

War & Society, Vol. 31 No. 1, March, 2012, 22–41

This article examines the ‘war culture’ that developed within the British Army with regard to death and burial on the... more This article examines the ‘war culture’ that developed within the British Army with regard to death and burial on the Western Front. Soldiers on the battlefields responded to the presence of death and the bodies of the dead through a specific framework that was used to understand this perverse and violent landscape. This drew upon pre-war practices and emphasized the physicality of the corpse in the desire to ensure a ‘decent’ burial for a ‘pal’.

Harry Pirie-Gordon and the Palestine Guide Books

by David Gill

Harry Pirie-Gordon (1883-1969) was responsible for the preparation of a series of Guide-Books published by the... more Harry Pirie-Gordon (1883-1969) was responsible for the preparation of a series of Guide-Books published by the Palestine News immediately after the First World War. The information had been prepared for the British attack on Palestine. Pirie-Gordon first went to Syria in 1908 ostensibly to study Crusader Castles. He took part in the survey of the Syrian coast around Alexandretta and worked as a foreign correspondent for The Times. Pirie-Gordon was commissioned in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) and initially worked through the Arab Bureau in Cairo. After a spell in Salonica, he was commissioned in the Army, returned to Cairo and took responsibility for the publication of the Palestine News for the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Allenby’s campaign in Palestine drew on the developing technology of aerial photography to prepare accurate maps of troop dispositions.