This book, first published in 2000, is a systematic analysis of German public opinion at the outbreak of the Great War and the first treatment of the myth of the 'spirit of 1914', which stated that in August 1914 all Germans felt 'war enthusiasm' and that this enthusiasm constituted a critical moment in which German society was transformed. Jeffrey Verhey's powerful study demonstrates that the myth was historically inaccurate. Although intellectuals and much of the upper class were enthusiastic, the emotions and opinions of most of the population were far more complex and contradictory. The book further examines the development of the myth in newspapers, politics and propaganda, and the propagation and appropriation of this myth after the war. His innovative analysis sheds light on German experience of the Great War and on the role of political myths in modern German political culture.
Acknowledgements; Introduction: the myth of the 'spirit of 1914'; 1. Public opinion in Germany, July 1914: the evidence of the crowds; 2. The response to the outbreak of war; 3. The 'August experiences'; 4. The 'spirit of 1914' in the immediate interpretations of the meaning of the war; 5. The government's myth of the spirit of 1914; 6. The 'spirit of 1914' in the discourse of the political parties; 7. The myth of the 'spirit of 1914' in German propaganda, 1916-18; 8. The 'spirit of 1914', 1919-45; Conclusion: the myth of the 'spirit of 1914' in German political culture, 1914-45; Select bibliography; Index.
