A convincing but dense history of the early years of the Red Cross,
presented as a cautionary study in moral and political compromise
and of assimilation into the international military machine.
Beginning with the shared interest of Swiss philanthropist Gustave
Moynier and French writer Henry Dunant in a soldiers' aid society,
historian Hutchinson (Simon Fraser Univ.) moves quickly to the
Geneva Conference of 1863, where the Red Cross, and the conflicts
associated with it, take shape. Social crusaders aiming for "higher
civilization" and military opportunists who believe the
organization can serve nationalistic and military goals are the
book's central antagonists. Changes over the years show the winner:
By 1906, according to Hutchinson, the Red Cross had shifted toward
the needs of "states and armies," not social betterment. WW I Red
Cross posters make the marriage of voluntary aid and patriotism
plain: One poster depicting the American and Red Cross flags
announced, "Loyalty to One Means Loyalty to Both." The conflicts
among the founders of the Red Cross are fascinating, but they are
not as successfully highlighted here (in part, possibly, because
Hutchinson did not have access to the papers of Moynier and another
early Red Cross figure, Louis Appia). Only Henry Dunant, with his
naturally dramatic life of high-mindedness, inspired rhetoric,
financial scandal, and social rehabilitation (he won the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1901), emerges as a captivating character. Florence
Nightingale, who appears to have rejected the Red Cross on grounds
that it "would render war more easy," is more a thematic marker
than a historical personage. An even more vexing problem is the
wordy prose, with interminable sentences punctuated by
parenthetical statements, as well as multiple dates and acronyms.
This study sustains its theme and convinces readers of its view of
this "sacred cow," but prolixity and lack of narrative drive make
it slow going. (Kirkus Reviews)
A character in an Evelyn Waugh novel once remarked that ?There's
nothing wrong with war?except the fighting.? In Champions of
Charity, John Hutchinson argues that while they set out with a
vision to make war more humane, the world's Red Cross organizations
soon became enthusiastic promoters of militarism and sacrifice in
time of war.The mass armies of the nineteenth century were stalked
by disease and slaughtered by ever more destructive weaponry,
arousing the indignation and humanitarian concern of self-appointed
battlefield Samaritans, who envisioned a neutral corps of volunteer
nurses who would aid and comfort wounded soldiers, regardless of
nationality. But the champions of charity soon became champions of
war.Florence Nightingale was among the few at the time to recognize
the dangers lurking in the Red Cross vision. She refused to join,
and warned its founders that the governments of the world would
cooperate with the Red Cross because ?it would render war more
easy.? She was right; starting in the late 19th century armies
simply used the Red Cross to efficiently recycle wounded men back
into the frontlines.In World War I, national Red Cross societies
became enthusiastic wartime propagandists. This was true in every
combatant nation, and it is a transformation well portrayed by the
fascinating selection of art in this book. Soon Red Cross personnel
were even sporting military-style uniforms, and in the United
States, the Red Cross became so identified with the war effort that
an American citizen was convicted of treason for criticising the
Red Cross in time of war!The Red Cross played an especially
important role in encouraging the mass involvement of women in the
?home front? for the first time. It did this through magazines,
postcards, posters, bandage-rolling parties, and speeches that
blended romantic images of humanitarianism and war into a unique
brand of maternal militarism. A true pioneer in mass propaganda,
the Red Cross taught millions that preparation for war was not just
a patriotic duty, but a normal and desirable social activity.The
Red Cross societies had proven their usefulness in mobilizing
civilians in wartime, and most of their functions were taken over
by government agencies by the time of World War II. Gradually the
Red Cross became better known for its work in public health,
disaster relief, and lifesaving classes. But the legacy of a darker
past still lingers: the red cross on a white background found on
army ambulances, or the unsubtle subtext of sacrifice and heroism
in Red Cross television advertising.It is a legacy the Red Cross
itself has preferred not to acknowledge in its own
self-congratulatory literature. For not only was the humanitarian
impulse that inspired the creation of the Red Cross easily
distorted, but this urge to militarize came from within its own
ranks. This startling and provocative history of the Red Cross
reminds us of the hidden dangers that sometimes come cloaked in the
best of intentions.
General
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