
The Ordeal of Peace
Demobilization and the Urban Experience in Britain and Germany, 1917-1921
Adam R. Seipp(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 28. April 2009
Book
Hardback
306 pages
978-0-7546-6749-0 (ISBN)
Description
Historians know a great deal about how wars begin, but far less about how they end. Whilst much has been written about the forces, passions, and institutions that mobilized societies for war and worked to sustain that mobilization through years of struggle, much less is known about the equally complex processes that demobilized societies in the wake of armed conflict. As such, this new book will be welcomed by scholars wishing to understand the effects of the Great War in its fullest context, including the reactions, behaviors, and attitudes of 'ordinary' Europeans during the tumultuous events of the years of demobilization. Taking a transnational perspective on demobilization this study demonstrates that the experience of mass industrial war generated remarkably similar pressures within both the defeated and victorious countries. Using as examples the important provincial centres of Munich and Manchester, this book examines the experiences of European urban-dwellers from the last year of the war until the early 1920s. Utilizing a wide variety of sources from more than twenty archives in Germany, Britain, and the United States, this book recovers voices from the period that are often lost in conventional narratives, capturing the richness and diversity of the ideas, visions, and conflicts engendered by those difficult and tumultuous years. The result is a book that paints a vivid picture of the difficulties that peace could bring to economies and societies that had rapidly and fully adapted to the demands of industrial world war.
Reviews / Votes
'The Ordeal of Peace is a monument to careful scholarship... Seipp has produced an admirable work that not only broadens our understanding of demobilization, but also shows the promising possibilities for transnational comparisons of urban experiences in war or peace.' Urban History 'This book is thoroughly researched and makes use of a wide variety of archival and published sources... Seipp's perspective on the ways that wartime institutions and cultures influenced the post-war years is a welcome addition to the field of First World War studies and deserves a wide readership.' European History QuarterlyMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
628 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7546-6749-0 (9780754667490)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Adam R. Seipp
The Ordeal of Peace
Demobilization and the Urban Experience in Britain and Germany, 1917-1921
Book
11/2016
1st Edition
Routledge
€80.40
Shipment within 10-20 days

Adam R. Seipp
The Ordeal of Peace
Demobilization and the Urban Experience in Britain and Germany, 1917-1921
E-Book
03/2016
Routledge
€73.99
Available for download

Adam R. Seipp
The Ordeal of Peace
Demobilization and the Urban Experience in Britain and Germany, 1917-1921
E-Book
03/2016
Routledge
€73.99
Available for download
Person
Adam R. Seipp is an Assistant Professor of History at Texas A&M University, USA
Content
Contents: Introduction: Munich, Manchester, and the demobilization of Europe. 1917-1921; Manchester. Munich, and urban Europe in 1914. Section I Visions of the End: 1917-18 and the Beginnings of Demobilization: 'Do something!': Manchester in transition and war, 1917-18; An immeasurable sacrifice of blood and treasure: Munich at war, 1917-18. Section II 'The Man Afterwards Changed Completely': Demobilizations, Homecomings, and Transformations: 'The fabric of Europe and the world was being remade': the Armistice and after in Manchester; 'We don't want gratitude, we want our rights': demobilization, violence, and politics in Munich, 1919. Section III 'The Dregs of this Bitter Chalice': Crisis and the End of Demobilization, 1920-1921: 'Ordeal by peace': Manchester 1920-21; Scapegoats for a lost war; the crisis of demobilization in Munich, 1920-21; Conclusion: ending and beginning again; Bibliography; Index.