The essays collected here suggest some of the ways in which an interdisciplinary perspective may contribute to our understanding of the Great War. Contributors examine the relationship between the character of the war and the nature of belligerent societies, and present original research on the comparative history of the First World War. In 1914-1918, the front lines did not only separate warring nations, but also cut across belligerent societies and ultimately determined the social responses to the conflict. Indeed, the ‘totalizing logic’ of the First World War entailed the blurring of boundaries between combatants and non-combatants, soldier and civilian. Subjects included are operational and tactical evolution, social mobilization, military discipline and morale, prisoners of war, veterans and demobilization, religion and politics, war literature and cinema, memory and commemoration.

Contributors: Pierre Purseigle; Patrick Porter; Dennis Showalter; Leonard V. Smith; Nicolas Ginsburger; Elise Julien; Paul Mulvey; Keith Grieves; Leen Engelen; Nicolas Beaupre; Jennifer D. Keene; Elizabeth Fordham; Vanda Wilcox; Heather Jones; Gearoid Barry.