By the end of the Franco-Prussian War (1870--71), Germany
occupied one-third of French territory, thousands of Alsatians and
Lorrainers had flooded into France, and 140,000 French soldiers had
died. France's crushing defeat in the most significant European
armed conflict between the Napoleonic wars and World War I cast
long shadows over military garrisons, meeting halls, and kitchen
tables throughout the nation. Until now, no study has adequately
addressed the complex, lasting effects of the war on the lives of
ordinary French men and women. In this stimulating new book, Rachel
Chrastil provides a lively history of French provincial citizens
after the Franco-Prussian War as they came to terms with defeat and
began to prepare themselves for a seemingly inevitable future
conflict.
Chrastil provides the first examination of the problems facing
provincial France following the war and the negotiations between
the state and citizen organizations over the best ways to resolve
these issues. She also reinterprets postwar commemorative practices
as an aspect of civil society, rather than as an issue of
collective memory. By the 1880s, Chrastil shows, the
Franco-Prussian War had receded far enough into the past for French
citizens to reassess their roles during the war and reorient
themselves toward the future. Believing that they had failed in
their duties during the Franco-Prussian War, many French men and
women argued that citizens could and should take responsibility for
the nation's war effort, even before hostilities began.
To this end, they joined the Red Cross, gymnastics clubs, and
commemorative organizations like the Souvenir Fran?ais, especially
in areas of the country that had faced occupation and that
anticipated future invasion. Using extensive archival and published
sources, Chrastil deftly traces the evolution of these private or
semiprivate associations and the ways in which those associations
affected the relationship of citizens with the French state.
Through a novel interpretation of these civilian groups, Chrastil
asserts that the associations encouraged French citizens to accept
and even to prolong World War I.
General
Imprint: |
Louisiana State University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
September 2010 |
First published: |
October 2010 |
Authors: |
Rachel A Chrastil
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 23mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards / With dust jacket
|
Pages: |
240 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8071-3679-9 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-8071-3679-4 |
Barcode: |
9780807136799 |
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