History in Dispute addresses these heavily debated questions by offering your students different ... more History in Dispute addresses these heavily debated questions by offering your students different critical perspectives on major historical events, drawn from all time periods and from all parts of the globe. The intent of this biennial series is to provide students with an enhanced understanding of events typically only summarized in history texts. Each volume will help stimulate critical thinking and provide ideas for papers and assignments in topics such as:
BackgroundIt has been argued that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a timeless condition, ... more BackgroundIt has been argued that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a timeless condition, which existed before it was codified in modern diagnostic classifications but was described by different names such as ‘railway spine’ and ‘shellshock’. Others have suggested that PTSD is a novel presentation that has resulted from a modern interaction between trauma and culture.AimsTo test whether one core symptom of PTSD, the flashback, has altered in prevalence over time in soldiers subjected to the intense stress of combat.MethodRandom selections were made of UK servicemen who had fought in wars from 1854 onwards and who had been awarded war pensions for post-combat disorders. These were studied to evaluate the incidence of flashbacks in defined, at-risk populations.ResultsThe incidence of flash backs was significantly greater in the most recent cohort, veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War; flashbacks were conspicuous by their absence in ex-servicemen from the Boer War and the First...
The image of the First World War soldier as a cowed victim, caught in the grip of a meaningless, ... more The image of the First World War soldier as a cowed victim, caught in the grip of a meaningless, industrialized war, is one that has become entrenched in the British popular imagination. It was not, however, the image that dominated public discussion of the soldier between 1914 and 1918. This article seeks to examine how the portrayal of the soldier changed during and after the First World War and proposes that the victimized soldier motif has been reinforced today by the coalescence of three trends. The first is the growth of the family history industry that encourages an individualized and empathetic approach to the First World War. The second trend is concerned with an increasing public interest in psychological reactions to war. Since the Vietnam War, there has been a growing expectation that soldiers will be psychologically damaged by wartime experience. This has influenced the public perception of the First World War soldier, affecting, in particular, the discussion surrounding those executed for military crimes during the conflict. Finally, the article argues that long-term changes in British attitudes to the use of force, coupled with the experience of recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, have also coloured the way in which the First World War is portrayed. A range of interest groups have cast the contemporary British soldier as a victim in recent years and the article argues that the explicit linking of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq with the First World War has reinforced this victim image for each conflict.
History in Dispute addresses these heavily debated questions by offering your students different ... more History in Dispute addresses these heavily debated questions by offering your students different critical perspectives on major historical events, drawn from all time periods and from all parts of the globe. The intent of this biennial series is to provide students with an enhanced understanding of events typically only summarized in history texts. Each volume will help stimulate critical thinking and provide ideas for papers and assignments in topics such as:
BackgroundIt has been argued that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a timeless condition, ... more BackgroundIt has been argued that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a timeless condition, which existed before it was codified in modern diagnostic classifications but was described by different names such as ‘railway spine’ and ‘shellshock’. Others have suggested that PTSD is a novel presentation that has resulted from a modern interaction between trauma and culture.AimsTo test whether one core symptom of PTSD, the flashback, has altered in prevalence over time in soldiers subjected to the intense stress of combat.MethodRandom selections were made of UK servicemen who had fought in wars from 1854 onwards and who had been awarded war pensions for post-combat disorders. These were studied to evaluate the incidence of flashbacks in defined, at-risk populations.ResultsThe incidence of flash backs was significantly greater in the most recent cohort, veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War; flashbacks were conspicuous by their absence in ex-servicemen from the Boer War and the First...
The image of the First World War soldier as a cowed victim, caught in the grip of a meaningless, ... more The image of the First World War soldier as a cowed victim, caught in the grip of a meaningless, industrialized war, is one that has become entrenched in the British popular imagination. It was not, however, the image that dominated public discussion of the soldier between 1914 and 1918. This article seeks to examine how the portrayal of the soldier changed during and after the First World War and proposes that the victimized soldier motif has been reinforced today by the coalescence of three trends. The first is the growth of the family history industry that encourages an individualized and empathetic approach to the First World War. The second trend is concerned with an increasing public interest in psychological reactions to war. Since the Vietnam War, there has been a growing expectation that soldiers will be psychologically damaged by wartime experience. This has influenced the public perception of the First World War soldier, affecting, in particular, the discussion surrounding those executed for military crimes during the conflict. Finally, the article argues that long-term changes in British attitudes to the use of force, coupled with the experience of recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, have also coloured the way in which the First World War is portrayed. A range of interest groups have cast the contemporary British soldier as a victim in recent years and the article argues that the explicit linking of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq with the First World War has reinforced this victim image for each conflict.
July 1, 1916, 7.30 am. An eerie silence hung over the battlefield, suddenly shattered by the blow... more July 1, 1916, 7.30 am. An eerie silence hung over the battlefield, suddenly shattered by the blowing of whistles and shouts of command. The battle of the Somme had begun. A continuous stream of British soldiers climbed out of their trenches and advanced towards German defences they were confident had been destroyed. But German soldiers were in place and ready: their reactions swift, their machine-guns finding easy targets. By the end of the day, 60,000 men from Kitchener's volunteer army - civilians who had cheerfully enlisted in the wave of patriotic fervour that swept the country in the first months of the war - had been killed or wounded. British Commander-in-Chief Sir Douglas Haig had optimistically launched the offensive, believing it would result in a decisive breakthrough. But the bloodbath of the opening day gave way to months of brutal stalemate as the Allies strove without success to seize more ground until the battle finally fizzled out in the chill November mud.
Commissioned by The Folio Society to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the battle of the Somme, this magnificent and moving book relives the most terrible military campaign in British history through the accounts of participants from both sides, from the generals at headquarters to the ordinary soldiers in the trenches. Their experiences of the horror and suffering in the battle that has come to represent all the futility and tragedy of World War I remain unforgettably vivid; yet their stories also glitter with heroism, humour, and a formidable spirit of resilience that stands out amidst the dreadful slaughter.
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Papers by Helen McCartney
Commissioned by The Folio Society to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the battle of the Somme, this magnificent and moving book relives the most terrible military campaign in British history through the accounts of participants from both sides, from the generals at headquarters to the ordinary soldiers in the trenches. Their experiences of the horror and suffering in the battle that has come to represent all the futility and tragedy of World War I remain unforgettably vivid; yet their stories also glitter with heroism, humour, and a formidable spirit of resilience that stands out amidst the dreadful slaughter.