Great War

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.

Símbols de construcció nacional des de l’alteritat britànica: James Connolly i la Insurrecció de Pasqua (1916-1926)

by Adrià Llacuna

Congres Internacional Pere Anguera, 13-15 abril 2011 (Reus)

El procés de revolució política irlandès, iniciat el 1916, amb la participació del socialista James Connolly,... more El procés de revolució política irlandès, iniciat el 1916, amb la participació del socialista James Connolly, constitueix un exemple il•lustratiu per a l’anàlisi dels processos de construcció de les identitats nacionals per a determinades cultures polítiques. Principalment, s’abordarà l’impacte i la progressiva codificació simbòlica que realitzarà el moviment laborista i socialista britànic en els anys posteriors a aquests esdeveniments (en el context de guerra anglo-irlandesa i guerra civil). Altrament, es pretén emmarcar aquest episodi en les context polític de la Gran Bretanya de la Gran Guerra (1914-1918), la Revolució Russa de 1917 i els primers anys del període d’entreguerres.

Conflictos Locales – Conflictos Nacionales. El laborismo independiente en Glasgow y el estallido de la rebelión irlandesa durante la Gran Guerra (1916-1918): una propuesta interpretativa

by Adrià Llacuna

VIII Congreso de Historia Local de Aragón, 30 de Junio - 2 de Julio 2011 (Rubielos de Mora)

El contexto histórico de la Gran Guerra ofrece la posibilidad de analizar históricamente una múltiple variedad de... more El contexto histórico de la Gran Guerra ofrece la posibilidad de analizar históricamente una múltiple variedad de conflictos internacionales, regionales y locales que catalizaron y se superpusieron a lo largo de una contienda bélica que incentivó episodios de convulsión política y social. En éste caso, el estudio se centra en profundizar en el contexto socio-político británico, y particularmente en la ciudad escocesa de Glasgow durante las postrimerías de la guerra (1916-1918), en directa relación con las reacciones políticas del socialismo de la ciudad (con gran presencia del Independent Labour Party, ILP) con la rebelión política irlandesa de 1916.

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’.

The Great War Outside Europe, 1914-18 ( lecture)

by Paul Mulvey

Literary Shell Shock: An Analysis and Comparison of the Psychological Elements in Contemporary and Modern First World War Literature

by Sylvie Boersma

This dissertation explores the links between contemporary First World War poetry, modern fiction on the Great War and... more This dissertation explores the links between contemporary First World War poetry, modern fiction on the Great War and psychology in their historical context. At the time of the Great War, psychological ailments known under the header ‘neurasthenia’ or ‘shell shock’ were a relatively new phenomenon which puzzled society at the time. By comparing actual case files of renowned doctors and psychologists of the time—such as W.H. Rivers—with the works of selected War poets—such as Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen and C.H. Sorley—the extent of the pervasiveness of shell shock becomes apparent. Psychological issues such as muteness, repression, suppression and war dreams are amply referred to in First World War poetry, which demonstrates the level of exposure of the poets to these ailments, and its subsequent importance. In this dissertation it becomes clear that modern fiction draws on the same methods and themes as the works written at the time of the war. The Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker is analyzed in the same way as the poetry, since she worked from a neurasthenic viewpoint and focused on a historicized reading of the works of the War poets. She employed similar techniques and psychological themes as the poets to engage her reader, and to accurately portray a World War I setting. However, it is clear that she is a modern author, and deviates from ideas from the time at certain points.



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Societies at War: Britain and France on the Home Front 1914-18 (lecture)

by Paul Mulvey

Gallipoli and the Western Front in 1915 (lecture)

by Paul Mulvey

The Western Front in 1916 (lecture)

by Paul Mulvey

lecture notes

Vlasis Vlasidis Eleni Gavra, ‘Military Cemeteries of the First World War in Macedonia Region: Routes of Reading History in Search the Common Cultural Heritage’,

by Vlasis Vlasidis

published in Νina Avramidou (ed.), 1st Specialty International Conference on Monumental Cemeteries. Knowledge, Conservation, Restyling and Innovation, (Μodena, 3-5 May, 2006), Roma, 2007, ISBN 978 88 54801147-8, vol. 1, pp.179-189.

The present paper aims to present the status of the military cemeteries of the First World War in Macedonia region, in... more The present paper aims to present the status of the military cemeteries of the First World War in Macedonia region, in the Balkans, as a sample of common cultural heritage in this very area. In the introduction, there are certain points raised concerning mainly: the historical knowledge and report on the present condition of military cemeteries (as far as spatial organization, architecture and sculpture are concerned), the status of their contemporary function, as well as the relation between these monuments and both the local communities and the greater area. In addition, the framework of a corporate planning for the launching of the cemeteries in the countries of this area is also presented along with their incorporation in the contemporary urban environment, the promotion of scenarios and actions towards the cooperation of the two countries – where the monuments are traced– in order to facilitate and methodize the visitors’ transportation there.

Europe and its Double: War, Nations and European Identity in Drieu La Rochelle's 'Le Deserteur'

by Umberto Rossi

Published in "Memory, History and Critique: European Identity at the Millennium" Proceedings of the 5th International Conferenceof ISSEI (International Society for the Study of European Ideas) CD, Utrecht, 1996.