Visions and Ideas of Europe during the First World War

Jan Vermeiren and Matthew D’Auria teach History at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom.

"D’Auria and Vermeiren (both, Univ. of East Anglia, UK) edited and contributed to this volume on ideas about Europe during and after WW I. They argue that the sense of a broad European identity rooted in history persisted and was articulated in the work of intellectuals, novelists, and artists, even during the conflict, which was fueled by intense nationalism and demonization of the enemy. Contributors discuss works from a range of mainly French, German, and British authors who reflected on how the cataclysm of a "European 'civil war'" would reshape the continent in terms of shared culture and, for some, in the possibility of political unification. Of particular interest are two essays about the visual representation of Europe: Richard Deswarte’s essay on Dutch cartoonist Louis Raemaekers's graphic depiction of young women threatened by German brutality evoking the symbolic figure of the mythical Europa, and Michael Wintle’s essay on the iconography of national war memorials reflecting the reassertion of Europeans’ faith in the superiority of their civilization over that of other populations. This book will be welcomed by scholars studying WW I and the history of European integration" - A. H. Plunkett, Piedmont Virginia Community College, CHOICE magazine"Anyone who would assume that everything has already been said about the history of ideas in Europe before and after 1914/18 will see this book as a lesson… It is a treasure trove and highly recommended for political ideas and historical culture researchers." [translated from German]Michael Gehler, Institut für Geschichte, Stiftung Universität Hildesheim for H-Soz-Kult

• IntroductionJan Vermeiren and Matthew D’AuriaDecadence, Messianism, and Redemption: Thinking Europe’s Apocalypse, 1914–1918Matthew D’AuriaIn Defence of Europe: Russia in German Intellectual Discourse, 1914-1918Jan VermeirenEurope in the German Pacifists’ Discourse during the Great WarLandry CharrierA New World? German and French Debates about America and Europe during the First World War Egbert KlautkeÉlie Faure, his Visions of War and his Image of EuropeAnnamaria DucciMax Waechter, Anglo-German rapprochement and the European Unity League, 1906–1924Ulrich Tiedau‘La Jeune Europe’: Masses, Anti-militarism and Moral Reformation in the Banfi-Caffi Correspondence (1910-1919)Marcello GisondiEagle and Dwarf: Polish Concepts of East Central Europe, 1914–1921Maciej GórnyIdeas of Europe in Neutral Spain (1914-1918)Maximiliano Fuentes CoderaEurope under Threat: Visual Projections of Europe in Raemaekers’ First World War CartoonsRichard DeswarteThe Tenacity of European Self-Esteem at the Time of the First World War: Examples from Architecture and the Visual Arts Michael WintleThe Legacy of War and the Idea of Europe in the 1920sMark HewitsonIndex