Under the Shadow of Defeat : The War of 1870-71 in French Memory

The French defeat of 1870-1 sparked soul-searching and a reassessment of the character of the nation. This book is the first to explore how memories of the Franco-Prussian War shaped French political culture and identities. It argues that these memories reawakened deep political divisions, distorting them through the prism of the "terrible year." It sheds new light on how people constructed memories not only to define and articulate their ideas, but also to situate themselves within new concepts of France. Contents......Page 7 List of Illustrations......Page 9 List of Acronyms......Page 11 Acknowledgements......Page 12 Introduction......Page 15 1 Political Fallout......Page 39 Patriotic transfiguration......Page 40 Republicans and Catholics......Page 55 Defeat, decadence, and decline......Page 58 2 The Cult of the Dead......Page 70 Burying the war dead......Page 72 Ideas of sacrifice......Page 77 3 Taboos......Page 91 The cult of the army......Page 94 Legacies of the Second Empire......Page 98 The Paris Commune......Page 107 Algeria and the colonies......Page 111 4 Memories for the Masses......Page 118 Forms and functions......Page 119 Pilgrimages and tourism......Page 126 Museums......Page 135 5 Legacies of l’année terrible......Page 143 Monument to the defence of Paris......Page 153 Nationalist memories......Page 158 6 Martyrdom and Resistance......Page 166 Myths of martyrdom......Page 167 Resistance identities......Page 179 7 The Lost Provinces......Page 189 Representing Alsace-Lorraine......Page 192 Revanche......Page 205 8 Arming the Nation......Page 217 Army and republic......Page 219 Garibaldi......Page 234 Conclusion......Page 241 Notes......Page 249 Bibliography......Page 286 B......Page 306 C......Page 307 G......Page 308 L......Page 309 N......Page 310 R......Page 311 W......Page 312 Z......Page 313 Based on extensive archival research, this book is the first wide-ranging analysis of how memories of the Franco-Prussian War shaped French political culture and identities. Examining war remembrance as an emerging mass phenomenon in Europe, it sheds new light on the relationship between memories and the emergence of new concepts of the nation.$bThe French defeat by Germany of 1870-71 was profoundly humiliating, sparking widespread soul-searching, intense political conflict, and a fundamental reassessment of the character of the nation. Based on extensive new archival research, this book is the first wide-ranging analysis of how memories of the Franco-Prussian War shaped French political culture and identities in the period thereafter. It argues that these memories reawakened deeply-rooted political divisions, distorting them through the prism of the 'terrible year'. Examining the emergence of war remembrance as a mass phenomenon for the first time in Europe, it explores the cult of the dead, the construction of war memorials, 'pilgrimages' to sites of remembrance, art, and literature relating to the war. It sheds new light on how groups and individuals constructed memories not only to define and articulate their ideas, but also to situate themselves within new political concepts of the nation A wide-ranging analysis of the political and cultural impact of the French defeat of 1870-71 and the emergence of widespread war remembrance for the first time in European history