Book Review: Rites of Spring: A Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age.
Introduction
In the book Rites of Passage: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age. The author connects the culture that was there in the in late 19thC, to that brought about as a result of modernity after the First World War. . Eksteins places Germany at the centre of modernity. According to him, nations such as France and Britain were the stumbling block to progress. According to Eksteins, the Anglo-French civilization showed the dominance of one culture over others. This is one of the causes of the Great War which aimed at modernising cultures.
The causes and impact of war
In his book, Eksteins points out at some of the possible causes of war and also its impact. For instance, according to him the war between Germany and nations such as Russia, France and Britain was due to the expansion of the German kultur and not as a result of territorial expansion. He considers British and France as having civilizations that lack spiritual values. This is what led the Germans to engage in war with the British and France
Ekstein also takes as through some of the impact of war in the society during and after the war. Ekstein s perceives the great war as a catalyst of modernity with Germany at the centre stage. He views modernity as embodied in Germany. Ekstein view war as being a cultural conflict where Germany is fighting for cultural expansion. The great war had a tremendous impact on the society, economy, politics and even the culture. For instance, the great war led to the deterioration of the economy a factor which greatly affected the society during that time. The great war also ushered in new youth’s cult such as the cinema, jazz, fashion among others which spread out fast in the west. In conclusion, the Rites of Spring by Eksteins also examines the effects of the Great War on the society, economy, politics and even culture.
Question b
Though, scholars such as the Paul Fussel argue that the world war lead to the emergence of the modern age, Eksteins argues otherwise.. For instance, Eksteins argues that the world war was simply a catalyst for modern. According to him, the genesis of modernity started a long time ago before 1914. However, his notion supports the Fussels thesis that world war fuelled modernity. Therefore, Paul Fussel’s article tends to agree with Eksteins. Because if war acted as a catalyst to modernity, then it can as well be seen as the basis for modernity as argued by Paul Fussel in his article.
Question c
Despite the fact that the rites of spring is a valuable work which connects modernity with world war, its primary sources though supports his thesis can make one doubt its authenticity and originality. For instance, most of his work relied mostly on statements from individuals. However, such statements lack sufficient evidence. For instance, he could borrow information from individuals such as the soldiers to develop his book. It is absolutely true that these individuals could give wrong inaccurate or biased information. This implies that his work lacked originality because of sufficient evidence or the primary sources utilized to write his book or to formulate certain statements in his book. This can make an individual to interpret the book differently in terms of its authenticity and reliability. It can make an individual to doubt its accuracy.
References
Eksteins., M. (1989). Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Fussell, P. (2013). The Great War and Modern Memory. London: Oxford University Press, USA.
