| The Wilhelmine brand of German nationalism existing at the end of the nineteenth century was dealt a great shock with defeat in the Great War. How was the average German to rationalize the millions dead and maimed soldiers and the amount of money expended on the war effort? The goal will be to show how themes of decay, transformation and vilifying the Other found in commentary of the era satisfied the same psychological needs fulfilled by traditional war memorials, and thus consideration will be given to German social commentary of the Weimar period as memorial to the Great War.;Media outlets satisfactorily provided plausible answers to German defeat, and not only provided an escape from reality and problems associated with loss of the war, but were an alternative to the traditional war memorial in their ability to provide the necessary psychologically therapeutic tools for dealing with loss. Film, literature and art became ways to express loss, frustration and dissatisfaction with the war's outcome. Such expression eventually led to scapegoating others and ideals "foreign" to the German national psyche. |
