Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- List of tables
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction: The myth of the “spirit of 1914”
- 1 Public opinion in Germany,July 1914:the evidence of the crowds
- 2 The response to the outbreak of the war
- 3 The “August experiences”
- 4 The “spirit of 1914” in the immediate interpretations of the meaning of the war
- 5 The government's myth of the spirit of 1914
- 6 The “spirit of 1914” in the discourse of the political parties
- 7 The myth of the “spirit of 1914” in German propaganda, 1916–1918
- 8 The “spirit of 1914,” 1919–1945
- Conclusion: the myth of the “spirit of 1914” in German political culture, 1914–1945
- Select bibliography
- Index
- Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare
3 - The “August experiences”
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 October 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- List of tables
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction: The myth of the “spirit of 1914”
- 1 Public opinion in Germany,July 1914:the evidence of the crowds
- 2 The response to the outbreak of the war
- 3 The “August experiences”
- 4 The “spirit of 1914” in the immediate interpretations of the meaning of the war
- 5 The government's myth of the spirit of 1914
- 6 The “spirit of 1914” in the discourse of the political parties
- 7 The myth of the “spirit of 1914” in German propaganda, 1916–1918
- 8 The “spirit of 1914,” 1919–1945
- Conclusion: the myth of the “spirit of 1914” in German political culture, 1914–1945
- Select bibliography
- Index
- Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare
Summary
If war had not come, it is likely that the “enthusiasm” of the last week of July would have been remembered differently. Perhaps one would have remembered it like that provincial journalist who warned that “one should not exaggerate all this too much.” It was, after all, Saturday night in Berlin. But war did come, and the memories of July were overlaid with the memories of what contemporaries called the “August experiences.” It was an unusual time. Klaus Mann remembered the “August experiences” in his memoirs as an “atmosphere,” a collage of powerful emotions and sensations:
When I attempt to recapture the atmosphere of 1914 I see flying flags, grey helmets bejeweled with wonderful flowers, women knitting, loud posters, and once again flags - an ocean, a cataract in black, white and red [the colors of Prussia/Germany]. The air is filled with noise and the refrains of patriotic songs: “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,” and “Es braust ein Ruf wie Donnerhall …” The noise never stops. Every second day a new victory is celebrated … The final victory seems certain: the boys will be home at Christmas.
It is impossible to recreate this atmosphere in all its richness.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Spirit of 1914Militarism, Myth, and Mobilization in Germany, pp. 72 - 114Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2000