The Culture of Defeat

On National Trauma, Mourning, and Recovery

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Psychology, Social Psychology, History, Military
Cover of the book The Culture of Defeat by Wolfgang Schivelbusch, Henry Holt and Co.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Wolfgang Schivelbusch ISBN: 9781466851177
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Publication: August 13, 2013
Imprint: Metropolitan Books Language: English
Author: Wolfgang Schivelbusch
ISBN: 9781466851177
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication: August 13, 2013
Imprint: Metropolitan Books
Language: English

A fascinating look at history's losers-the myths they create to cope with defeat and the steps they take never to be vanquished again

History may be written by the victors, Wolfgang Schivelbusch argues in his brilliant and provocative new book, but the losers often have the final word. Focusing on three seminal cases of modern warfare-the South after the Civil War, France in the wake of the Franco-Prussian War, and Germany following World War I-Schivelbusch reveals the complex psychological and cultural reactions of vanquished nations to the experience of military defeat.

Drawing on responses from every level of society, Schivelbusch shows how conquered societies question the foundations of their identities and strive to emulate the victors: the South to become a "better North," the French to militarize their schools on the Prussian model, the Germans to adopt all things American. He charts the losers' paradoxical equation of military failure with cultural superiority as they generate myths to glorify their pasts and explain their losses: the nostalgic "plantation legend" after the fall of the Confederacy; the cult of Joan of Arc in vanquished France; the fiction of the stab in the back by "foreign" elements in postwar Germany. From cathartic epidemics of "dance madness" to the revolutions that so often follow battlefield humiliation, Schivelbusch finds remarkable similarities across cultures.

Eloquently and vibrantly told, The Culture of Defeat is a tour de force that opens new territory for historical inquiry.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A fascinating look at history's losers-the myths they create to cope with defeat and the steps they take never to be vanquished again

History may be written by the victors, Wolfgang Schivelbusch argues in his brilliant and provocative new book, but the losers often have the final word. Focusing on three seminal cases of modern warfare-the South after the Civil War, France in the wake of the Franco-Prussian War, and Germany following World War I-Schivelbusch reveals the complex psychological and cultural reactions of vanquished nations to the experience of military defeat.

Drawing on responses from every level of society, Schivelbusch shows how conquered societies question the foundations of their identities and strive to emulate the victors: the South to become a "better North," the French to militarize their schools on the Prussian model, the Germans to adopt all things American. He charts the losers' paradoxical equation of military failure with cultural superiority as they generate myths to glorify their pasts and explain their losses: the nostalgic "plantation legend" after the fall of the Confederacy; the cult of Joan of Arc in vanquished France; the fiction of the stab in the back by "foreign" elements in postwar Germany. From cathartic epidemics of "dance madness" to the revolutions that so often follow battlefield humiliation, Schivelbusch finds remarkable similarities across cultures.

Eloquently and vibrantly told, The Culture of Defeat is a tour de force that opens new territory for historical inquiry.

More books from Henry Holt and Co.

Cover of the book Wolf Hall by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book Natasha's Dance by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book Time Sight by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book The Embroidered Shoes by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book Our Boys by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book A Shameful Act by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book The Elephant Whisperer (Young Readers Adaptation) by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book Zero the Hero by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book The Island of Excess Love by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book Everything in This Country Must by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book Home, and Other Big, Fat Lies by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book My Life as a Stuntboy by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book Cool Cars and Trucks by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book Sun! One in a Billion by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
Cover of the book The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power by Wolfgang Schivelbusch
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy