1914: Then Came Armageddon
George L. Mosse Program in History
This exhibit, produced by the George L. Mosse Program in History, features materials given to UW Libraries by Professor and Art Historian Andrew Laurie Stangel and other collections from the UW Libraries and Archives and the Historical Society of Wisconsin commemorating the outbreak of the First World War. The following events work to help us understand how and why the world marched off to war during the summer of 1914.
Germany Mobilizes for War
“I no longer see different parties, all I see is Germans.”
War Begins in Austria and Serbia
“It would be necessary for Austria to make war on Serbia!”
Belgian Crossroads
“This illegal action – I speak openly – we shall seek to repair this illegal action which we are committing as soon as our military goal is achieved.”
Outbreak in France
“Did [Germany] think she was deceiving France, finding her ignorant and asleep?”
United Against Germany
“Nothing is more important, however, than the origins of this conflict, and the doom which awaits Civilization unless Kultur is crushed.”
Great Britain and WWI
“We strove with all our might, as everyone now knows, to prevent its [World War I] outbreak, and when that was no longer possible, to limit its area.”
War and Technology
“From the war the world would have learnt a lesson”
Death and Memorialization
The human cost of the war left the world with millions of casualties prompting leaders to create new memorials for the deceased.
Fragments from France
Selected cartoons from the various editions of Fragments from France by Captain Bruce Bairnsfather
Frankl’s Photographs: Capturing the War
Selections from the Wisconsin Historical Society exhibition, “Eduard Frankl: Picturing the Great War”
Stangel Collection:
The War Through Medals
Selection of medals from the Chazen Museum of Art’s Gift from Dr. Andrew Laurie Stangel