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Sandhurst

The First World War:

History and Commemoration

Dr Matthais Strohn, Department of War Studies

This year will see the start of the centenary commemorations
of the First World War, ‘the great seminal catastrophe’ of the

20th century, as the American historian George F. Kennan called
it. How can a nation remember and commemorate a war of such
dimensions? It seems that the United Kingdom has chosen sen-
sible approach: Just over a handful of national and international

events, spread out over the four years 2014 to 2018, supple-
mented by more activities at the local level like school projects
and activities by the armed forces, such as staff rides to the west-
ern front. By limiting the number of high proile events, the UK will

be able to prevent a ‘commemoration fatigue’ among the popula-
tion – the First World War lasted for over 4 years and this needs to
be relected in the duration of the oficial commemorations.

However, this restriction to only a handful of events necessarily
means that not all events will be commemorated that some peo-
ple might regard as crucial for the remembrance of the First World
War. Would it makes sense to celebrate 8 August 1918 one hun-
dred years later? On this day the German army suffered its “black The Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife
Sophie in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914
day” and crumbled under enemy’s pressure on the western front,
marking the beginning of the inal phase of the First World War. For instance, for many years the prevailing view was that the war
Celebrating this date would create
had been a futile war, in which lions led by donkeys died hor-
riic deaths in the trenches. This view has been challenged and an anti-pole to the more solemn

it is good that this has been done. All countries and their armies commemorations on 11 November.
Celebrating this
fought wars and battles that at the time seemed far from futile The UK has not been alone in this
date would create
to them and most of the generals were not the half-wits por- debate – which gathered momen-
trayed in Blackadder Goes Forth. This was true for the British, tum rather late in the day. It would
an anti-pole to

who fought to defend Britain and to preserve the status quo in be easy to argue that this belated
the more solemn
Western Europe. And it was true for the German soldiers, who intellectual interaction with the war
commemorations
believed that they were ighting a defensive war against a ‘world was caused by a general political
of enemies’ – a world that German politicians had partly created lack of interest in the First World
on 11 November.

themselves by clumsy foreign policy.
War (which is most probably true
for the German government), but it
However, it is too easy to put the sole blame on Germany. It is also allows for a positive interpretation. The First World War is still
true, Germany’s politicians acted not very competently in the highly controversial, and there will be controversy over numer-
years leading up to the First World War, and it is without doubt ous subjects during the centenary years. This in itself is not a

that imperial Germany has to accept the onus for the invasion of bad thing – only controversy and the exchange of arguments will
Belgium. The idea here is not to point the inger and pass the enhance our understanding of the First World War and what really
blame, but virtually all major European powers have to accept happened and why. This will allow the process to develop its own
a fair share in the outbreak of the war: Russia, Austria-Hungary dynamics and to incorporate the indings and results from these

and France played important and not peaceful roles. The Bal-
controversies.

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