Keywords
Great War, London, anti-German violence, press propaganda, food shortage
Abstract
During the First World War, anti-German sentiments manifested itself as riots in several occasions in London. Several explanations and interpretations were put forward by contemporary observers and later historians. This essay intends to provide a more balanced discourse on the causes of the anti-German riots. I will demonstrate that the popular anti-German violence was a mixed product of press propaganda and local grievance caused by food shortage and economic inflation. Moreover, while this essay does not aim to fully exonerate the British government, I will explain that in some instances, the role of authority was quite limited in terms of promoting anti-German hatred.
Cover Page Footnote
The author would like to thank Professor Daniel Ussishkin for his helpful recommendations and generous support.
First Page
54
Last Page
75
Recommended Citation
Wang, Haochen
(2014)
"“A Cleaner, Better, Stronger Land”: The Causes of Anti-German Riots in Wartime London, 1914-1918,"
The Great Lakes Journal of Undergraduate History: Vol. 2:
Iss.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/gljuh/vol2/iss1/4
