Author Description
How Did Ministers, Journalists, Academics, Artists, And Subjects In The German Lands Imagine War During The Nineteenth Century? The Napoleonic Wars Had Been The Bloodiest In Europe's History, Directly Affecting Millions Of Germans, Yet Their Long-term Consequences On Individuals And On 'politics' Are Still Poorly Understood. This Study Makes Sense Of Contemporaries' Memories And Histories Of The Revolutionary And Napoleonic Campaigns Within A Much Wider Context Of Press Reportage Of Wars Elsewhere In Europe And Overseas, Debates About Military Service And The Reform Of Germany's Armies, Revolution And Counter-revolution, And Individuals' Experiences Of Violence And Death In Their Everyday Lives. For The Majority Of The Populations Of The German States, Wars During An Era Of Conscription Were Not Merely A Matter Of History And Memory; Rather, They Concerned Subjects' Hopes, Fears, And Expectations Of The Future. This Is The Second Volume Of Mark Hewitson's Study Of The Violence Of War In The German Lands During The Nineteenth And Twentieth Centuries. It Investigates The Complex Relationship Between Military Conflicts And The Violent Acts Of Individual Soldiers. In Particular, It Considers The Contradictory Impact Of 'pacification' In Civilian Life And Exposure To Increasingly Destructive Technologies Of Killing During War-time. This Contradiction Reached Its Nineteenth-century Apogee During The 'wars Of Unification', Leaving An Ambiguous Imprint On Post-war Discussions Of Military Conflict.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
How did the German population perceive, remember, and integrate the experience of war into their political and personal lives during the nineteenth century? Mark Hewitson, a historian specializing in German history, utilizes a broad range of primary sources—including press reports, personal accounts, and political debates—to examine the intersection of military conflict and civilian consciousness. He argues that the Napoleonic Wars and subsequent conflicts were not merely historical events but active forces that shaped the expectations, fears, and political identities of German subjects throughout the century.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the cultural memory of the Napoleonic Wars in German states.
- Examination of the relationship between military reform, conscription, and public discourse.
- Investigation into the tension between civilian pacification and the increasing lethality of military technology.
- Exploration of the 'Wars of Unification' as a turning point for societal attitudes toward violence.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses specifically on the German lands and does not provide a comprehensive military history of all European conflicts.
- It does not prioritize tactical or strategic military analysis over the social and psychological impacts of war.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians and scholars of European history identify this work as a significant contribution to the study of war and society in the nineteenth century. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the author's meticulous use of primary source documentation to support his arguments.
Page Count:
512
Publication Date:
2017-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0191056057
ISBN-13:
9780191056055
History
German history
Military History
Nineteenth century
War and Society
European History