The Myth of the War Experience

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how in his book "Fallen Soldiers", George L. Mosse attempts to define what he calls the myth of the war experience, which he says came to sanctify war during World War I and which has transformed the war experience to make war into something meaningful and even holy. In this way, governments could redefine patriotism around war. It looks at how the origins of the myth can be traced back to the French Revolution and the German Wars of Liberation against Napoleonis when the common soldier was suddenly infused with patriotic fervor and a desire for glory such as formerly occupied only the leadership.

From the Paper:

"Mosse's argument is convincing in the way he develops his historical argument, though he does ignore the fact that the attitude he calls the Myth of the War Experience is not something that came into being around the time of the French Revolution so much as it was then extended from the officer class to the common soldier. The view of war as a glorious enterprise is far older than that and can be seen in the celebration of the warrior-leader at least as early as the time of Ancient Greece and continuing in some form ever since. What Mosse really finds is how the common soldier was suddenly infused with patriotic fervor and a desire for glory such as formerly occupied only the leadership."

More papers on The Myth of the War Experience:

• Analytical Essay # 25339 : "Albert Camus and the Struggle Against Absurdity"
• Book Review # 75424 : "The Things They Carried"
• Book Review # 116318 : "Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: