The Spirit of 1914: Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in GermanyThis book, first published in 2000, is a systematic analysis of German public opinion at the outbreak of the Great War and the first treatment of the myth of the 'spirit of 1914', which stated that in August 1914 all Germans felt 'war enthusiasm' and that this enthusiasm constituted a critical moment in which German society was transformed. Jeffrey Verhey's powerful study demonstrates that the myth was historically inaccurate. Although intellectuals and much of the upper class were enthusiastic, the emotions and opinions of most of the population were far more complex and contradictory. The book further examines the development of the myth in newspapers, politics and propaganda, and the propagation and appropriation of this myth after the war. His innovative analysis sheds light on German experience of the Great War and on the role of political myths in modern German political culture. |
Contents
1 | |
the evidence of the crowds | 12 |
2 The response to the outbreak of the war | 58 |
3 The August experiences | 72 |
4 The spirit of 1914 in the immediate interpretations of the meaning of the war | 115 |
5 The governments myth of the spirit of 1914 | 136 |
6 The spirit of 1914 in the discourse of the political parties | 156 |
7 The myth of the spirit of 1914 in German propaganda 19161918 | 186 |
8 The spirit of 1914 19191945 | 206 |
The myth of the spirit of 1914 in German political culture 19141945 | 231 |
239 | |
262 | |
Common terms and phrases
27 July 30 Berlin 31 July Abend army August experiences Austrian Beilage Bethmann Hollweg Bochum bourgeois Bremen Burgfrieden cafés Chancellor cities claimed conservative contemporaries curious crowds demonstrations described deutschen Deutschland Dortmund Düsseldorf enthusiasm Ernst Ersten Weltkrieg Essen Frankfurt/Main Frankfurter Zeitung Friedrich front General-Anzeiger German Fatherland Party Gertrud Bäumer GhStAPK Hamburg Hamburger Fremdenblatt Hellmut von Gerlach HStA Munich hurrah journalist Kaiser Krieg Kriegsarchiv Kriegsdokumente Kundgebungen liberal Linden Ludendorff marched mass memory military Minister mobilization mood Morgen Münchner Neueste Nachrichten Munich myth narrative National Socialists newspapers Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung official Pan-German parades parliament patriotic songs police political culture Politik Politische population proclamation propaganda Prussian quoted Regional Deputy Commander Reich Reichstag reprinted revolution Similarly Social Democratic soldiers speech spirit of 1914 Stellv Stimmung Stuttgart Tageblatt Tägliche Rundschau tion unity Unter den Linden victory Volk Volksgemeinschaft Vorwärts Weimar Wilhelm working-class wrote youths