"The Blood of Our Sons" : Men, Women and the Renegotiation of British Citizenship During the Great War

In this ground-breaking study of the complex relationship between war, gender, and citizenship in Great Britain during World War I, Nicoletta Gullace shows how the assault on civilian masculinity led directly to women's suffrage. Through recruiting activities such as handing out white feathers to reputed 'cowards' and offering petticoats to unenlisted 'shirkers', female war enthusiasts drew national attention to the fact that manhood alone was an inadequate marker of civic responsibility. Proclaiming women's exemplary service to the nation, feminist organizations tapped into a public culture that celebrated military service while denigrating those who opposed the war. Drawing on the vast range of popular and official sources, Gullace reveals that the war had revolutionary implications for women who wished to vote and for men who were expected to fight. Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Introduction 10 PART I PROPAGANDA AND THE PUBLIC MIND 23 Chapter 1 The Rape of Belgium and Wartime Imagination 24 Chapter 2 The Making of Tommy Atkins: Masculinity, Propaganda, and the Triumph of Family Values 41 Chapter 3 Redrawing the Boundaries of the Private Sphere: Patriotic Motherhood and the Raising of Kitchener's Armies 58 PART II SHAMING RITUALS AND SEXUAL IDENTITY 75 Chapter 4 The Order of the White Feather 76 Chapter 5 Conscription, Conscience, and the Travails of Male Citizenship 101 Chapter 6 Reinventing Womanhood: Suffragettes and the Great War for Citizenship 136 PART III THE CULTURAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE LAW 161 Chapter 7 The Power of Sacrifice: "Physical Force" and Women's Work 162 Chapter 8 Votes for Whom? The Ideological Origins of the Representation of the People Bill 184 Epilogue 212 Notes 216 Selected Bibliography 270 Index 289 "In this study of the complex relationship between war, gender, and citizenship in Great Britain during World War I, Nicoletta F. Gullace shows how the assault on civilian masculinity led directly to women's suffrage. Through recruiting activities such as handing out white feathers to reputed "cowards" and offering petticoats to unenlisted "shirkers," female war enthusiasts drew national attention to the fact that manhood alone was an inadequate marker of civic responsibility. Proclaiming women's exemplary service in the nation, feminist organizations tapped into a public culture that celebrated military service while denigrating those who opposed the war. Drawing on a vast range of popular and official sources, Gullace reveals that the war had revolutionary implications for women who wished to vote and for men who were expected to fight."--Jacket

Winner of the 2003 North American Conference on British Studies Annual Book Prize!

This path-breaking study brings together feminist and political history in innovative and refreshing ways, examining the complex relationship between war, gender, and citizenship in Great Britain during World War I. Nicoletta F. Gullace shows how the assault on civilian masculinity contributed to women’s suffrage. Feminists organizations tapped into nationalist feelings to open doors for their demands, taking advantage of a public culture that celebrated military service while denigrating those who opposed the war. Drawing on a vast range of popular and official sources, Gullace reveals that the war had revolutionary implications for women who wished to vote and for men who were expected to fight.

Annotation Winner of the 2003 North American Conference on British Studies Annual Book PrizeThis path-breaking study brings together feminist and political history in innovative and refreshing ways, examining the complex relationship between war, gender, and citizenship in Great Britain during World War I. Nicoletta F. Gullace shows how the assault on civilian masculinity contributed to women's suffrage. Feminists organizations tapped into nationalist feelings to open doors for their demands, taking advantage of a public culture that celebrated military service while denigrating those who opposed the war. Drawing on a vast range of popular and official sources, Gullace reveals that the war had revolutionary implications for women who wished to vote and for men who were expected to fight Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-13 Front Matter....Pages 15-15 The Rape of Belgium and Wartime Imagination....Pages 17-33 The Making of Tommy Atkins....Pages 35-51 Redrawing the Boundaries of the Private Sphere....Pages 53-69 Front Matter....Pages 71-71 The Order of the White Feather....Pages 73-97 Conscription, Conscience, and the Travails of Male Citizenship....Pages 99-115 Reinventing Womanhood....Pages 117-141 Front Matter....Pages 143-143 The Power of Sacrifice....Pages 145-166 Votes for Whom?....Pages 167-194 Epilogue....Pages 195-198 Back Matter....Pages 199-284 This text shows how the assault on civilian masculinity during World War I led to women's suffrage. Through recruiting activities such as handing white feathers to reputed 'cowards', female war enthusiasts drew attention to the fact that manhood alone was an inadequate marker of civic responsibility On December 28, 1914, Kate Hume, a seventeen-year-old girl from Dumfries, was tried before the Edinburgh High Court for publishing two forged letters in her local newspaper.