International Comparison
The "outbreak" of World War One
International comparison: How is the “outbreak” of World War One portrayed in German and Swedish popular history magazines?
Tasks
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1
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Are there different national views concerning the start of World War One
a. Guess: Could it be that the beginning of World War One is described differently in different European countries these days? Consider: There are some states belonging to the attackers (like the German Reich) and some to the attacked (like England) and finally there are some neutral countries (like Sweden). But also take into consideration that the start of World War One was more than 100 years ago. |
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2
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How the causes of war are described in German and Swedish magazines a. Description of the causes of War in a German magazine: DAMALS (2004) The text "Weeks of decision“ (DAMALS 2004) states, that World War One was by no means the result of just the assassination, moreover quite different questions of power have to be clarified, old scores were settled and fears have been raised (p.14). Read the text and add the causes listed to the first column of the table.
b. Comparisons with Swedish magazine: Populär Historia (2008)
c. Description of the causes of the war in other European Magazines If you are very interested in broadening the European horizons, you can read Spanish, Polish and English articles and add the results of your analysis to the table.
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3
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The discussion of historical Alternatives in the Swedish text a. The path from the assassination in Sarajevo to World War One has not been automatic. Compare both articles to see, whether they describe certain situations which could have altered history.
b. Compare with your textbook: Are these considerable decisions described in the books? c. Discuss with your neighbour: Is it appropriate that textbooks deal with the topic of considerable decisions? Explain your thoughts |
Tasks
|
1
|
Are there different national views concerning the start of World War One
a.
Guess: Could it be that the beginning of World War One is described differently in different
European countries these days? Consider: There are some states belonging to the
attackers (like the German Reich) and some to the attacked (like
England) and finally there are some neutral countries (like Sweden).
But also take into consideration that the start of World War One was more than 100
years ago. |
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|
2
|
How the causes of war are described in German and Swedish magazines a. Description of the causes of war in a German magazine: DAMALS (2004) The text "Weeks of decision“ (DAMALS 2004) states, that World War One was by no means the result of just the assassination, moreover quite different questions of power have to be clarified, old scores were settled and fears have been raised (p.14). Read the text and add the causes listed to the first column of the table.
b. Comparisons with Swedish magazines: Populär Historia (2008)
Regarding the content, the causes shown do not differ considerably. Therefore, it is not possible to imply differences reflecting the national perspective. Maybe, the omission of the Ottoman Empire in the German article could indicate a national perspective on the topic. But there are rather different methods of describing. The German article rather enumerates several causes, whereas the Swedish one is arranged in a more eye-catching and discursive way.
If you are very interested in broadening the European horizons, you can read Spanish, Polish and English articles and add the results of your analysis to the table. |
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3
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The discussion of historical Alternatives in the Swedish text a. The path from the assassination in Sarajevo to World War One has not been automatic. Compare both articles to see, whether they describe certain situations which could have altered history.
Unlike the Swedish one, which describes possible alternatives, the article of the DAMALS-magazine describes single plots of the path to World War One. The author of the Swedish article highlights three of these situations.
1. The assassination of Sarajevo On the one hand, it is astonishing, that the assassin had the opportunity to shoot, on the other hand, that both shots were lethal as Princip had not been known for being a good marksman. 2. Partial Russian mobilisation and refusal of the German ultimatum According to the text, the war would only have taken place between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, if Russia had not taken action. 3. Great-Britain´s entry into war On the one hand, German Emperor Wilhelm II tried to avoid a war with Great-Britain and to stop the advance towards the West, which however was rejected by some German generals. On the other hand, entry into war was seen as quite controversial in GB.
b. Compare with your textbook: Are these considerable decisions described in the books? c. Discuss with your neighbour: Is it appropriate that textbooks deal with the topic of considerable decisions? Explain your thoughts! |
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