Lusitania : the cultural history of a catastrophe / Willi Jasper ; translated by Stewart Spencer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jasper, Willi, author.

Contributor:

Spencer, Stewart, transator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lusitania (Steamship).

World War, 1914-1918--Naval operations--Submarine.

World War, 1914-1918.

World War, 1914-1918--Moral and ethical aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, [Connecticut] ; London, [England] : Yale University Press, 2016.

Summary:

A fascinating reassessment of a turning point in the First World War, revealing its role in shaping the German psyche On May 7, 1915, the Lusitania, a large British luxury liner, was sunk by a German submarine off the Irish coast. Nearly 1,200 people, including 128 American citizens, lost their lives. The sinking of a civilian passenger vessel without warning was a scandal of international scale and helped precipitate the United States’ decision to enter the conflict. It also led to the immediate vilification of Germany. Though the ship’s sinking has preoccupied historians and the general public for over a century, until now the German side of the story has been largely untold. Drawing on varied German sources, historian Willi Jasper provides a comprehensive reappraisal of the sinking and its aftermath that focuses on the German reaction and psyche. The attack on the Lusitania, he argues, was not simply an escalation of violence but signaled a new ideological, moral, and religious dimension in the struggle between German Kultur and Western civilization.

Contents:

Cover page; Halftitle page; Title page; Copyright page; Contents; Introduction; CHAPTER 1 Report to Noah; Ship Owners and Admirals; The Myth of the Titanic; CHAPTER 2 Modern Vikings?; The 'risk fleet'; 'We're sailing off to Eng-e-land'; CHAPTER 3 Minutes of a Disaster; The Tragedy of the Lusitania; The Queenstown Graves; Gospel in New York; CHAPTER 4 Jubilation and Horror; Thomas Mann 'did not shed a tear'; Erich Mühsam: 'Horror raised to its highest pitch'; Karl Liebknecht's Leaflet; CHAPTER 5 Criminals and Victims; The End of the U- 20; The Turning Point of the War and Myths about the War

CHAPTER 6 'Malice in Kulturland''Nonpolitical Reflections' and the Germans' 'special path'; German Men of Letters; War Artists and Artists' Protests; EPILOGUE Delimitation and Continuity; Acknowledgements; Notes; Bibliography; Illustration Credits; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-300-22424-9

OCLC:

1198929885