The Western Front remains one of the most iconic, horrifying and controversial aspects of the First World War. This Cambridge Companion is a timely guide to the current state of research into this decisive theatre. Nick Lloyd brings together leading scholars to offer cutting-edge historical surveys combined with provocative and challenging new interpretations. They provide a comprehensive history of the Western Front, from war-planning and mobilisation in 1914, the emergence of a 'modern style' of warfare between 1914 and 1918, the role of coalitions and alliances, morale and the experience of colonial soldiers to the relationship between generals and domestic political leaders, the landscape of battle and the front's subsequent commemoration, remembrance and cultural afterlife. Together, these contributions highlight the seismic and enduring impact of a crucial moment in European history and demonstrate why it continues to attract interest, horror, fascination and debate over a hundred years later.
Nick Lloyd is Professor of Modern Warfare at King's College London, based at the Defence Academy UK in Shrivenham, Wiltshire. He is the author of six books, including The Western Front (2021), which was the first volume in a groundbreaking trilogy on the First World War.
List of Figures; List of Contributors; Introduction; 1. War Planning, Mobilization and the War of Movement in 1914 Mario Draper; 2. War, Technology and the Materialschlacht Brian N. Hall; 3. Alliances and Coalitions Meighen McCrae; 4. Colonial Troops and the Non-European Experience of the Western Front Richard Fogarty; 5. Morale and the Experience of the Trenches Alex Mayhew; 6. Lions and Donkeys: Command and Leadership on the Western Front Nick Lloyd; 7. 'Too Important for the Generals': The Politics of the Western Front Matthew Johnson; 8. Terrain and the Western Front Peter Doyle; 9. Behind the Front: The Experience of Occupation Emmanuel Debruyne; 10. 'You Must See it and Live it': Visual Culture on the Western Front Laura Brandon; 11. The Poetry and the Pity: Literature of the Trenches Jane Potter; 12. The Western Front in Film and Television Emma Hanna; 13. Commemoration and Remembrance Ann-Marie Foster; Index.