We recently read two different accounts of post-war France, and I found the comparison to be really interesting. For my book review, I chose The Hollow Years: France in the 1930s by Eugen Weber. I am only a few chapters into the book so far, but the sentiments of the author were obvious after the first chapter. Comparing this to the French people described in Large's piece makes for another interesting question in history - who, of these two authors, is correct? Weber makes France appear to be a nation united by the shear fear of war, a collection of pacifistic survivors of the Great War. Large's account of France is of a more divisive people, a country full of warring factions struggling for power in the wake of the war. Either way, I find the topic of France after the Great War to be extremely interesting. The statistics presented at the beginning of the Weber chapter are mind-boggling. When 10.5% of your male population perishes in the trenches, it is not hard to see the difficulties in attempted recovery. I do believe France was a weary nation after the Great War, but I am not sure I completely agree with Wegner's piece. It is hard to imagine pacifism that widespread in a traditional European power, even France.
Reading about Stavinsky and the scandal that followed his death showed France after the war in a different light. France is plagued by domestic issues, many of which have arisen because of the Great War. France took a serious hit in the war, and no matter how one looks at it, the years that followed were tumultuous, to say the least. No country in Europe was affected as badly as France population-wise, and this is shown in the statistics. The people of France and their survivors were left to cope with the loss of many of their best and brightest men. With the situation France was in, it is not hard to see how Germany defeated them so quickly in WWII. No matter the differences between the two readings, I think that they share the theme of the struggling French society found after 1918. Looking at the details of WWI and the following events that took place - no matter how they are depicted, it is evident that France is struggling to regain its identity after the brutalities of the Great War. In both readings, looking closer into the post-war culture of France gives us a better understanding of why the things happened leading up to 1940.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Weber's portrayal of France, while enticing, is not readily accepted by many French historians who might more willing accept Clay Large's view of a divided society plagued by internal problems. Still, Weber makes a compelling case and even if he does not depict the majority of the population, even a minority who adhere to the views expressed in his chapter could influence the tone of society and politics in the period.
ReplyDelete