Leading up to the First World War German children’s books, in line with the general militarisation of children's culture in Imperial Germany, were published in the service of patriotic education and to prepare children for the war. During the war years, enthusiasm for the conflict was encouraged by books which celebrated military action and justified ‘necessary’ sacrifices. While German novels and school material of the period have received some scholarly attention, German picturebooks of the First World War have, to date, been relatively neglected.

Children playing at military activities were popular motifs for war propaganda for adults: plump, smiling, uniformed, flag-waving boys on colour postcards, each representing one of the countries of the Central Powers, made the war look charming, even cute. And similar images can be found in books for young children: little boys as soldiers, girls performing nursing activities, mock war scenes peopled by children, playful initiations into the rituals of military life, and scenes of conflict played out between child actors. This paper examines how military conflict is portrayed in terms of games children play, how patriotism is constructed, and how images of friends and enemies are molded in the books.


Vortrag