Dynamic of Destruction: Culture and Mass Killing in the First World War

447 Pages·2007·8.79 MB·English

by  Professor Alan Kramer

DYNAMIC
OF
R
DEST UCTION
THE MAKING OF THE
MODERN WORLD
Thisgroupofnarrativehistoriesfocusesonkeymomentsandeventsinthe
twentiethcenturytoexploretheirwidersigniWcanceforthe
developmentofthemodernworld.
published:
TheFallofFrance:TheNaziInvasionof1940,JulianJackson
ABitterRevolution:China’sStrugglewiththeModernWorld,RanaMitter
DynamicofDestruction:CultureandMassKillingintheFirstWorldWar,AlanKramer
forthcoming:
TheVietnamWars:AGlobalHistory,MarkBradley
Algeria:TheUndeclaredWar,MartinEvans
seriesadvisers:
ProfessorChrisBayly,UniversityofCambridge
ProfessorRichardJ.Evans,UniversityofCambridge
ProfessorDavidReynolds,UniversityofCambridge
DYNAMIC
OF
R
DEST UCTION
culture and mass killing
in the first world war
R R
ALAN K AME
1
3
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Acknowledgements
I should like to mention first of all the support of Trinity College Dublin.
Like many other universities it has not been immune to the ruthless drive
for rationalization, and the demands of teaching and administration com-
pete for time with research, but fortunately the Department of History has
continued to show its commitment to research, not least by preserving the
essentialsystemofsabbaticalleave.Iamgratefulespeciallytotheheadofthe
School of Histories and Humanities, Jane Ohlmeyer, for her consistent
support. During my research leave in 2002–3 I was able to complete one
major project, and start research on two other projects, the fruit of one of
which is the present book. I gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the
Arts and Social Science Benefaction Fund of TCD.
Agreatintellectualdebtisowedtoseveralfriendsandcolleagues.Iwant
tothankJohnHorneforthemanydiscussionsovertheyearsintheresearch
seminar which we take turns to convene in Trinity College Dublin, for
countlessimpromptu conversationsaboutthewritingof historywhichcan
onlyhappenwhenoneworksinthesamedepartment,andforreadingand
commenting on the draft of this book. I should also like to thank the
participants at the research seminar in modern European history at Trinity
College,andattheModernHistoryFaculty,Oxford(andespeciallyNicholas
Stargardt), where I presented papers based on the main ideas of the book.
GerhardHirschfeld(Stuttgart) hasbeen astalwart friendandexpert adviser
on Germany in the First World War and beyond. Richard Evans (Cam-
bridge) has been a major influence on my own writing; he has given
generously of his time to discuss the ideas of this book and advise on the
manuscript.Thanksareduealsototheanonymousreaderofthemanuscript
for his or her comments. I have benefited also from the incisivecomments
ofMichaelWildt(Hamburg)andfromourdiscussionsduringlongwalksby
thebeautifulAlsterlakeonthecontinuitiesandradicaldifferencesbetween
the First and the Second World Wars.
vi acknowledgements
Manyothershaveprovidedhelpfulreferencesandmuch-neededsupport
in other ways; I particularly want to mention Heather Jones (Dublin), Ian
Kershaw (Sheffield), Sophie de Schaepdrijver (Penn State), Irina Renz
(Stuttgart), Lothar Kettenacker (Munich), Ute Schneider (Darmstadt),
Daniele Ceschin (Venice), and Maria Pia Critelli (Rome). MacGregor
Knox (London) spotted many errors, for which I am most grateful.
During my sabbatical year, spent mainly in Rome, I used the excellent
library of the German Historical Institute. I wish to thank the Institute’s
director, Michael Matheus, and above all Lutz Klinkhammer for many
hours of enlightening discussion on Italian history. The staffs at Trinity
College Library Dublin; the Staats- und Universita¨tsbibliothek Carl von
Ossietzky, the library of the Historisches Seminar of the University, the
libraryoftheHelmut-Schmidt-Universita¨t,andthelibraryoftheBernhard-
Nocht-Institutfu¨rTropenmedizin(allinHamburg);andattheBibliotecadi
StoriaModernaeContemporaneainRomeallprovidedessentialassistance,
for which I am grateful. Matthew Stout drew the maps. My editors at
Oxford University Press deserve thanks for their careful attention to the
manuscript and their perseverance in the production of the book: Luciana
O’Flaherty and Matthew Cotton, and the production editor Catherine
Berry. Tom Chandler did a fine job of copy-editing, and Emmanuelle
Pe´ri succeeded admirably in tracking down the copyright-holders of the
illustrations.
Most of all I should like to thank Renate Ahrens. Since both of us are
authors, each reads the other’s work before anyone else, and thus contrib-
utes to the creative process. Renate has enriched my work, and much else
besides, through her love. However, readers who expect to find here the
conventional dedication will be disappointed. This book is a story of
unremittingviolence,destruction,hatred,andmisery;anditseemsinappro-
priate to dedicate it to anyone.
a.k.
Trinity College Dublin
January 2007
Contents
List of Illustrations viii
List of Maps x
Abbreviations xi
Introduction 1
1. The Burning of Louvain 6
2. The Radicalization of Warfare 31
3. The Warriors 69
4. German Singularity? 114
5. Culture and War 159
6. Trench Warfare and its Consequences 211
7. War, Bodies, and Minds 230
8. Victory, Trauma, and Post-War Disorder 268
Conclusion 328
Historiographical Note 339
Appendix: Hague Convention (IV) Respecting the Laws
and Customs of War on Land (1907) 347
Notes 349
Bibliography 394
Sources and Acknowledgements for Illustrations 416
Index 419
List of Illustrations
1. GrandHallofLouvainLibrary 9
2. GrandHallofLouvainLibraryafterthedestructionof25August1914 10
3. ‘HolocaustofLouvain’(Headline,DailyMail,Monday31August1914) 13
4. TheruinsoftheCathedralandClothHallatYpres 17
5. RheimsCathedralunderattack 18
6. PublicexecutionofallegedSerbpartisansbyHabsburgtroops 143
7. DepartureoftheJenaStudents,frescobyFerdinandHodler 162
8. FloodedTrenchontheYser(1915),paintingbyChristopherNevinson 171
9. LaMitrailleuse(1915),paintingbyChristopherNevinson 172
10. PathsofGlory(1917),paintingbyChristopherNevinson 173
11. ApocalypticLandscape(1913),paintingbyLudwigMeidner 174
12. Frenchposter:‘ThedayoftheOise.Forthevictimsofwar’,
ValentineReyre,1916 185
13. ArmouredTrain(1915),paintingbyGinoSeverini 197
14. ArditiCoatofArms,paintingbyGiacomoBalla 198
15. Sacile,31October1917,paintingbyGiulioAristideSartorio 199
16. L’Isoladeimorti.Fagare´,paintingbyGiulioAristideSartorio 200
17. AttaceoaereodiVenezia,paintingbyGiulioAristideSartorio 201
18. DestructioncausedbyBritishartilleryatPasschendaele 227
19. DixmuideafterAlliedshelling 228–9
20. Dixmuide,themainsquare 228–9
21. ThedeliberatedemolitionofachurchbyGermanforces—probably
becauseitwasbeingusedasatargetmarker 235
22. OYcersposingnexttothedestroyedfortofLoncin,nearLie`ge 236
23. OYcersposingnexttothedestroyedfortofMarchovelette,
nearNamur 237
24. Posterforawarloan(Empruntnational)byChavanaz,1918 239
25. GermanbrothelinBelgium,fromErnstFriedrich,WaragainstWar! 248
26. ChangingBillets,Picardy,paintingbyWilliamOrpen,1918 250
27. Railwayman,mouthtornawayandlowerjawgone 253
list of illustrations ix
28. AufbrechenderMarsundtrauerndeFrau1914(‘Marsdepartingand
womanmourning,1914’),drawingbyMaxBeckmann 261
29. DieGranate(‘Shell’,1914),drawingbyMaxBeckmann 262
30. SpielendeKinder(ChildrenPlaying,1918),Paintingby
MaxBeckmann 263
31. Auferstehung(‘Resurrection’,1918),unWnishedpaintingby
MaxBeckmann 264
32. MahlzeitinderSappe(‘MealintheSap’,[i.e.forwardtrench],1924),
etchingbyOttoDix 265
33. DeadGermansinaTrench,paintingbyWilliamOrpen,1918 266