Who Wanted War, and Why?

About the lecture

In this module, we think about which Germans wanted war, and why, focusing on: (i) the desire to demonstrate Germany’s military prowess and status within Europe; (ii) the wish to deflect attention away from internal divisions and towards an external, shared endeavour; (iii) the position taken by Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD); the enthusiasm shared by many average Germans, to bring about a repeat of the victorious Wars of Unification; and (iv) the extent to which the images circulating in Germany accurately represented the proportion of Germans that actually wanted to go to war.

About the lecturer

Professor Belinda Davis is a Professor at Rutgers University. Her research interests lie in modern Germany and Europe, especially food, popular politics, and gender history. Her recent publications include The Internal Life of Politics: Extraparliamentary Opposition in West Germany, 1962-1983 (2019), Changing the World, Changing Oneself: Political Protest and Transnational Identities in 1960s/70s, West Germany and the U.S (2010, editor), and Home Fires Burning: Food, Politics, and Everyday Life in World War I Berlin (2000).