Christmas Truce (eBook)

Myth, Memory, and the First World War

Terri Blom Crocker (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2015
310 Seiten
The University Press of Kentucky (Verlag)
978-0-8131-6617-9 (ISBN)

Infos

In late December 1914, German and British soldiers on the western front initiated a series of impromptu, unofficial ceasefires. Enlisted men across No Man's Land abandoned their trenches and crossed enemy lines to sing carols, share food and cigarettes, and even play a little soccer. Collectively known as the Christmas Truce, these fleeting moments of peace occupy a mythical place in remembrances of World War I. Yet new accounts suggest that the heartwarming tale ingrained in the popular imagination bears little resemblance to the truth.In this detailed study, Terri Blom Crocker provides the first comprehensive analysis of both scholarly and popular portrayals of the Christmas Truce from 1914 to present. From books by influential historians to the Oscar-nominated French film Joyeux Noel (2006), this new examination shows how a variety of works have both explored and enshrined this outbreak of peace amid overwhelming violence. The vast majority of these accounts depict the soldiers as acting in defiance of their superiors. Crocker, however, analyzes official accounts as well as private letters that reveal widespread support among officers for the dtentes. Furthermore, she finds that truce participants describe the temporary ceasefires not as rebellions by disaffected troops but as acts of humanity and survival by professional soldiers deeply committed to their respective causes. The Christmas Truce studies these ceasefires within the wider war, demonstrating how generations of scholars have promoted interpretations that ignored the nuanced perspectives of the many soldiers who fought. Crocker's groundbreaking, meticulously researched work challenges conventional analyses and sheds new light on the history and popular mythology of the War to End All Wars.

Autor

Terri Blom Crocker has a PhD from the University of Kentucky, where she is an instructor. She is also a senior paralegal for investigations in the university's Office of Legal Counsel. She lives in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Inhalt

A Candle Lit in the Darkness: The Christmas Truce and the First World War
Absolute Hell: The Western Front in 1914
A Great Day with Our Enemies: The Christmas Truce
No War Today: The Christmas Truce as Reported in Official War Diaries and Regimental Histories
One Day of Peace at the Front: The Christmas Truce and the British Press
That Unique and Weird Christmas: The Christmas Truce during the War
The Curious Christmas Truce: The First World War and the Christmas Truce, 1920-1959
The Famous Christmas Truce: The First World War and the Christmas Truce, 1960-1969
The Legendary Christmas Truce: The First World War, the Christmas Truce, and Social History, 1970–1989
Memories of Christmas 1914 Persist: Orthodoxy, Revisionism, and the Christmas Truce, 1990–2014
It Was Peace That Won: The Christmas Truce and the Narrative of the First World War

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 10.11.2015
• Vorwort: Peter Grant
• Zusatzinfo: 8 b&w halftones, 2 maps
• Verlagsort: Lexington
• Sprache: englisch
• Maße: 150 x 150 mm
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Geschichte / Politik ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Neuzeit (bis 1918)
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► 1918 bis 1945
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
• Schlagworte: Britain • British • British Military • christmas armistice • Christmas Carols • christmas ceasefire • Christmas Truce • Collective memory • Commercials • Cultural Memory • Culture • England • Football • German • german military • Germany • Historical Memory • historical myth • History • joyeux noel • Memory • No Man's Land • remembance • Soccer • soldiers • troops • western front wwi • World War I • wwi • wwi soldiers • wwi troops
• ISBN-10: 0-8131-6617-9 / 0813166179
• ISBN-13: 978-0-8131-6617-9 / 9780813166179