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The Cross and the Trenches Religious Faith and Doubt among British and American Great War Soldiers
Richard Schweitzer
ISBN: 0-313-31838-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-31838-2
352 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 5/30/2003
List Price: $91.95 (UK Sterling Price: £63.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Description: The modernist historiographical model of the Great War neglects such traditional modes of thought as religious response to battle. Drawing on the testimony of over 500 British and American soldiers, Schweitzer provides an in-depth account of topics such as soldiers' prayers and biblical readings, as well as religious doubts. As a detailed snapshot of religion during the war, this study provides a crucial preamble to studies of the legacy of the Great War.

The lack of a satisfactory scholarly study has left interpretation of the role that religion played in soldiers' lives to the pronouncements of their contemporaries who often either viewed World War I as an opportunity to spark a religious revival or as an event that crushed religious faith. Schweitzer argues that neither of these interpretations is accurate, and he hopes to replace them with a model that arranges responses on a spectrum ranging from absolute faith in God to atheism. Based on extensive archival research, this study establishes a detailed model of the spiritual lives of British and American soldiers during the war. After sketching this spiritual history, he concludes that both British and American soldiers were more religious than previous writings have indicated.
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction
    Faith
    The British and American Churches and the War
    The Spectrum of Religious Faith
    Chaplains
    Religion by Rank
    Soldiers' Religious Responses within the Narrative Structure of Battle
    Religion on the Homefront
    Doubt
    The Costs of Clerical Nationalism, the Church of England's Chaplains, the Roman Catholic Converts, and the American YMCA
    The Revival that Never Came, a Conjecture
    The Spectrum of Religious Doubt
    Coda
    Woodrow Wilson and the Prince of Peace Motif
    Conclusion
About the Author: RICHARD SCHWEITZER is an independent scholar. His articles on war and culture have appeared in Weber Studies, Film and History, and War & Society.
LCC Class: 940
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