The Great War

Taylor Downing reviews two new books on the cultural history of the First World War.

Taylor Downing | Published in 19 Nov 2002
  • The Unquiet Western Front: Britain’s Role in Literature and History by Brian Bond
    Cambridge University Press 128 pp  £17.50 
    ISBN 0521809959
  • Forgotten Voices of the Great War by Max Arthur
    Ebury Press 326 pp  £19.99 
    ISBN 0091882095
    HISTORY TODAY BOOKSHOP PRICE £16.99

Did the First World War bring out the best of Britishness idealism, courage, determination, adaptability? Or did it bring out the worst lack of preparedness, stubborness, an inability to respond to changing circumstances, and a class system in which brave and honourable working men were sent to their deaths by a remote, blinkered ruling class? In their very different way these two books both address this question.

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