World War I

1788 Words4 Pages

Stephane Audoin-Rouzeau and Annette Becker, authors of 14-18: Understanding the Great War, are directors of the Historial de la Grande Guerre in Péronne, an international museum and research center near the Somme. Audoin-Rouzeau graduated from Jules Verne University of Picardy, and Becker graduated from the University of Paris, X-Nanterre. Both have completed a high volume of research and writings on World War I. Each has also published one book relating to World War I before writing 14-18: Understanding the Great War.

World War I is a commonly studied event in history. Many researchers have put considerable time and effort into researching and analyzing the causes, events, and effects of the war. There are countless books on the matter as well. Most of this is focused on the cause and effects of the war or the events of the war from a strategic and/or military standpoint. Stephane Audouin-Rouzeau and Annette Becker take a different approach in 14-18: Understanding the Great War. They offer a new way of understanding World War I with a focus on the three aspects of the war that they consider most often overlooked by other historians: the horrific violence of the war, the war as a crusade, and the overwhelming grief felt as a result of the war. They use these aspects to provide a complete understanding of the war and to show how it made subsequent conflicts possible. Their method of research and writing is different as well. They display an obvious awareness of over reliance on and lack of analysis of many primary sources used by historians. Audoin-Rouzeau and Becker not only use and analyze some of these primary sources in a in their context, but also provide some analysis and discussion of other historians writings as well.

...

... middle of paper ...

...olence seen in areas other than the front lines. These myths are often reinforced by historians. (46) The authors also use some primary sources to support their arguments such as their use of the scholars ‘Appeal to the Civilised World’ to show the Germans’ reaction to the accusations of barbarianism.

Audoin-Rouzeau and Becker describe World War I in great detail in 14-18: Understanding the Great War. They use three uncommonly analyzed aspects of the war to provide a clear understanding of the events of the war and the study of the war in the years since. They successfully prove their point demonstrating that other historians have often overlooked or misinterpreted areas that they cover in detail in their book. They strategically use primary and secondary sources that provide clear evidence. It is clear that their discussion is thoroughly researched and accurate.

Open Document