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5.2: Celebration—WHY?
The “July Crisis” of 1914 did not resolve itself. Instead, Austria declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. Within days Russia, Germany, and France had begun mobilizing as well. The streets of European capitals filled with cheering crowds and marching soldiers. This enthusiasm was like nothing before or since. In fact, later generations have often found it puzzling. Why would so many people be so excited at the prospect of a world war?
Tonight, your job is to read primary documents describing peoples’ beliefs prior to the war and during its earliest days, in August and September, 1914.
WHY DID SO MANY GREET THE WAR WITH SUCH ENTHUSIASM?
TASKS: [READ CAREFULLY!!!]
In your NEW Reader (“Progress & Catastrophe) you have some degree of CHOICE about which texts you will read. The readings are between pages 37-54. You will read a little from each section. ANNOTATE! They are:
o READ 2 of the following 4 ESSAYS on RACISM, IMPERIALISM, MILITARISM – growing beliefs that many Westerners were embracing by 1914. The ideas are usually closely intertwined and it’s rare to find nationalism without racism and militarism combined. These essays are from 3 Germans and a Frenchman, but this is only a sample. These ideas were widespread throughout all European countries—each nationality had a reason why their particular race was superior.
o p 37: RACISM: Pan-German League: Dominant Races and Subordinate Races
o p 38: RACISM: Chamberlain: Race lifts a man above himself
o p 40: ANTI-SEMITITIC RACISM: Drumont: Aryans and Semites
o p 41: MILITARISM: Treitschke: The Greatness of War
o READ and ANNOTATE the following essay about young university students in France who were eager to go to war--especially against the Germans if they could!
o p 42: MILITARISM, PATRIOTISM, NATIONALISM: Massis & Tarde: Better war than this eternal Waiting!
§ What reasons do the students give for wanting to go to war?
o READ 2 of the following 3 memoirs and ANNOTATE! Here we have three descriptions of the celebrations when war was declared. Each author provides reasons to explain why people were so eager for war. WHAT were those REASONS?
o p 44 Zweig in AUSTRIA: That mysterious frenzy of the millions
o p 46 Doregeles in FRANCE: Paris is singing
o p 48 Russell in BRITAIN: The day war was declared
o LOOK AT the POSTCARDS from Germany:
o p 50 Germany marches off to War! What do you notice about them? Do you see anything surprising?
o OPTIONAL –POETRY BEFORE THE BATTLE!
o p 51-54 If you like poetry, you should read these! Which poem is totally different from the others? Why?
FOR EACH ITEM: Be Prepared to do TWO things:
1. Mark one or two KEY PASSAGES in each reading. If you’re looking at the postcards, pick ONE that you think helps answer our question:
WHY DID SO MANY GREET THE WAR WITH SUCH ENTHUSIASM?
2. ABOUT-POINT. Write down a sentence that describes what the text is ABOUT, then write down a sentence that explains the POINT of the text.
BROOKE: POEM 1914 I. Peace (Great Britain)
ABOUT:
Brooke writes ABOUT thanking God that we’ve been “wakened” from an “old”, “cold” world, and that we will find release “there”
POINT:
The coming war will purify us and death isn’t so bad.
BE READY TO COME TO CLASS AND WRITE A SHORT NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ABOUT THE CELEBRATIONS IN EUROPEAN CAPITALS, COMPLETE WITH ‘INTERVIEWS’ AND DESCRIPTIVE OBSERVATION BASED ON THE ACTUAL HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS YOU’VE STUDIED.
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