Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Days and nights in wartime Russia Richard Stites; 2. German culture in the Great War Peter Jelavich; 3. Culture in Poland during World War I Harold B. Segel; 4. Jewish cultural identity in Eastern and central Europe during the Great War Aviel Roshwald; 5. The tragic carnival: Austrian culture in the First World War Steven Beller; 6. Ambivalent patriots: Czech culture in the Great War Claire Nolte; 7. Culture in Hungary during World War I Joseph Held; 8. Culture in the south Slavic lands, 1914–18 Andrew Wachtel; 9. Between apology and denial: Bulgarian culture during World War I Evelina Kelbetcheva; 10. Romania: war, occupation, liberation Maria Bucur; 11. Occupation, propaganda, and the idea of Belgium Sophie de Schaepdrijver; 12. Cultural life in France, 1914–18 Marc Ferro; 13. The impact of World War I on Italian political culture Walter L. Adamson; 14. Popular culture in wartime Britain Jay Winter; Conclusion.

Promotional Information

A comparative study of European cultural and social history during the First World War.

About the Author

Aviel Roshwald is Professor of History at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He is the author of "The Endurance of Nationalism: Ancient Roots and Modern Dilemmas" (Cambridge University Press, 2006). His previous publications include Estranged Bedfellows: Britain and France in the Middle East during the Second World War (1990) and Ethnic Nationalism and the Fall of Empires: Central Europe, Russia and the Middle East, 1914–1923 (2001). He is co-editor, with Richard Stites, of European Culture during the Great War: The Arts, Entertainment, and Propaganda, 1914–1918 (Cambridge University Press, 1999).

Reviews

'… an important collection that casts new light on the cultural history of the Great War … essential reading for anyone who is interested in the complex relationship between propaganda and popular culture.' History Today

'The book's essays on the Great Powers are fresh and occasionally provocative, but the collection siginificantly enriches our conception of Europe by including informative chapters on Romania, Bulgaria, and the culture of the Poles, the Hungarians, the Czechs, the South Slavs, the Jews, and the Belgians.' Slavic Review

'Scholars of the First World War familiar only with the histories of Britain, France or Germany will find much that is new and valuable … the real strength of the collection rests in the attention it pays to the neglected regions and nations of east central Europe.' Journal of Modern History

'… a notable contribution to the literature … All in all, this is a feast of a book.' Economic History Review