Home Fires Burning : Food, Politics, and Everyday Life in World War I Berlin

Annotation Challenging Assumptions About The Separation Of High Politics And Everyday Life, Belinda Davis Uncovers The Important Influence Of The Broad Civilian Populace -- Particularly Poorer Women -- On German Domestic And Even Military Policy During World War I. As Britain's Wartime Blockade Of Goods To Central Europe Increasingly Squeezed The German Food Supply, Public Protests Led By Women Of Little Means Broke Out In The Streets Of Berlin And Other German Cities. These Street Scenes Riveted Public Attention And Drew Urban Populations Together Across Class Lines To Make Formidable, Apparently Unified Demands On The German State. Imperial Authorities Responded In Unprecedented Fashion In The Interests Of Beleaguered Consumers, Interceding Actively In Food Distribution And Production. But Officials' Actions Were Far More Effective In Legitimating Popular Demands Than In Defending The State's Right To Rule. In The End, Says Davis, This Dynamic Fundamentally Reformulated Relations Between State And Society And Contributed To The State's Downfall In 1918. Shedding New Light On The Wilhelmine Government, German Subjects' Role As Political Actors, And The Influence Of The War On The Home Front On The Weimar State And Society, Home Fires Burning# Helps Rewrite The Political History Of World War I Germany. 1. Germany From Peace To War -- 2. Bread, Cake, And Just Desserts -- 3. Women Of Lesser Means -- 4. Battles Over Butter -- 5. One View Of How Politics Worked In World War I Berlin -- 6. A Food Dictatorship -- 7. Soup, Stew, And Eating German -- 8. Food For The Weak, Food For The Strong -- 9. The End Of Faith -- 10. Germany From War To Peace? Belinda J. Davis. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 307-341) And Index.

Challenging assumptions about the separation of high politics and everyday life, Belinda Davis uncovers the important influence of the broad civilian populace—particularly poorer women—on German domestic and even military policy during World War I.

As Britain's wartime blockade of goods to Central Europe increasingly squeezed the German food supply, public protests led by "women of little means" broke out in the streets of Berlin and other German cities. These "street scenes" riveted public attention and drew urban populations together across class lines to make formidable, apparently unified demands on the German state. Imperial authorities responded in unprecedented fashion in the interests of beleaguered consumers, interceding actively in food distribution and production. But officials' actions were far more effective in legitimating popular demands than in defending the state's right to rule. In the end, says Davis, this dynamic fundamentally reformulated relations between state and society and contributed to the state's downfall in 1918. Shedding new light on the Wilhelmine government, German subjects' role as political actors, and the influence of the war on the home front on the Weimar state and society, Home Fires Burning helps rewrite the political history of World War I Germany.

Cover......Page 1 HOME FIRES BURNING......Page 4 isbn 0-8078-2526-3......Page 5 9 The End of Faith......Page 8 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 10 MAPS & FIGURES......Page 12 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 14 INTRODUCTION......Page 18 1 GERMANY FROM PEACE TO WAR......Page 26 2 BREAD, CAKE, AND JUST DESERTS......Page 41 3 WOMEN OF LESSER MEANS......Page 65 4 BATTLES OVER BUTTER......Page 93 5 ONE VIEW OF HOW POLITICS WORKEDIN WORLD WAR I BERLIN......Page 110 6 A FOOD DICTATORSHIP......Page 131 7 SOUP, STEW, AND EATING GERMAN......Page 154 8 FOOD FOR THE WEAK, FOOD FOR THE STRONG......Page 176 10 GERMANY FROM WAR TO PEACE?......Page 236 CONCLUSION......Page 254 Notes......Page 264 Bibliography......Page 324 INDEX......Page 360 Germany entered the war in 1914 a country in which rapid industrialization and urbanization had helped to produce a polarized society, often discontented and anomic, a nation that inspired both great pride and a gnawing sense of inadequacy among its subjects. Challenging assumptions about the separation of high politics and everyday life, this book uncovers the important influence of the broad civilian populace, particularly poorer women, on German domestic and even military policy during World War I