Popular Experience and Cultural Representation of the Great War, 1914-1918
About this ebook
A strong sense of British identity and a faith in the superiority of British values, customs and institutions underpinned the collective war effort. The book looks at how, even in captivity at the Ruhleben internment camp, the British gave expression to this identity. The book emphasises the extent to which this was a conflict in which Britain sought to defend and even extend its imperial dominion. It also discusses how different political and cultural agendas have shaped the way in which Britain has remembered the War.
As such, the book reflects the diversity of popular experience in the War, both at home and in the empire. Britain’s entry into the War in 1914 helped to ensure that it became a truly global conflict. The contributors here draw attention to the significant social, cultural and political legacies for Britain and her empire of a conflict which, one hundred years later, continues to be the subject of considerable controversy.
About the author
Dr Ian Whitehead is a Senior Lecturer in History and Deputy Head of Humanities at the University of Derby, UK, having received his PhD from Leeds University, UK. His teaching interests lie in modern British history, the history of twentieth century warfare and the history of medicine. He is the author of Doctors in the Great War (1999) and has co-edited, with J.M. Bourne and P.H. Liddle, two volumes comparing the international experiences of the world wars: The Great World War, 1914–1945: Lightning Strikes Twice (2000) and The Great World War, 1914–1945: Who Won? Who Lost? (2001).
