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GREAT WAR-POST WAR DISILLUSIONMENT

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Chevalier De Seingalt (U1784061) on Friday, 12th August 2005

  My dissertation is coming up and i'm researching the effects of the war on returning veterans and how many of them turned to radical politics as a result. I know this is general but does anyone know where i can make a start to narrow it down??

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Mike Alexander (U1706714) on Friday, 12th August 2005

  Chevalier - this is an area I'm also interested in. I can't think of any books I've come across which tackle the subject in any great detail.
  
  There is the odd chapter on post-war disillusionment in Arthur Marwick's classic 'The Deluge', and a bit in a more recent book 'Blighty' by Gerard J.De Groot. You might also possibly find something of use in Robert Graves' 'The Long Weekend' which is a social history of Britain 1918-39 (or are you more interested in Europe, where radical politics took a stronger hold?).
  
  If you find anything more detailed, please let me know, as I'd be very interested to read it!
  
  Cheers
  Mike

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  Posted by veritas (U1735705) on Saturday, 13th August 2005

  This subject perhaps has more to do with human nature than war.
  
  War is more to do with violence and bloodshed in reality, if you are appalled at such things but go to war in patriotic pride or persuation by government that it is the 'right' thing to do, you have made a decision of the assumption that war can be a necessary evil maybe, and on fighting that war find out that all is not as it should be,I imagine that that you would probably return feeling betrayed. Which in turn could lead to such actions as suggested.
  
  The lst world war poets were sensitive men who obviously believed they were doing their patriotic duty, and soon found otherwise.
  
  Their war poems are as a powerful anti-war as it is possible for anything to be.
  
  Perhaps others less sensitive and articulate than poets turn their anger into more bloodshed or political intrique at some other level?
  
  War makes both heroes and villians, patriots and terrorists, It is my opinion that if you study the human condition of good and evil, we might be better qualifide to study the real nature of why men go to war, or return wanting to begin another.

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