Men Under Fire: Motivation, Morale, and Masculinity among Czech Soldiers in the Great War, 1914–1918 (Austrian and Habsburg Studies Book 26)

In historical writing on World War I, Czech-speaking soldiers serving in the Austro-Hungarian military are typically studied as Czechs, rarely as soldiers, and never as men. As a result, the question of these soldiers’ imperial loyalties has dominated the historical literature to the exclusion of any debate on their identities and experiences. __Men under Fire__ provides a groundbreaking analysis of this oft-overlooked cohort, drawing on a wealth of soldiers’ private writings to explore experiences of exhaustion, sex, loyalty, authority, and combat itself. It combines methods from history, gender studies, and military science to reveal the extent to which the Great War challenged these men’s senses of masculinity, and to which the resulting dynamics influenced their attitudes and loyalties. "In historical writing on World War I, Czech-speaking soldiers serving in the Austro-Hungarian military are typically studied as Czechs, rarely as soldiers, and never as men. As a result, the question of these soldiers' imperial loyalties has dominated the historical literature to the exclusion of any debate on their identities and experiences. Men under Fire provides a groundbreaking analysis of this oft-overlooked cohort, drawing on a wealth of soldiers' private writings to explore experiences of exhaustion, sex, loyalty, authority, and combat itself. It combines methods from history, gender studies, and military science to reveal the extent to which the Great War challenged these men's senses of masculinity, and to which the resulting dynamics influenced their attitudes and loyalties."-- Provided by publisher Contents List of Illustrations Preface to the English Edition Introduction 1. Tournament of Manliness: Mobilization 2. Compromises of Manliness: Everyday Experience 3. Transformation of Manliness: Comradeship 4. Degradation of Manliness: The Military Authorities 5. Venues of Manliness: Home 6. Manliness under Fire: Combat and the Body Conclusion Bibliography Index In historical writing on World War I, Czech-speaking soldiers serving in the Austro-Hungarian military are primarily studied as Czechs, rarely as soldiers, and never as men.