Grounding the history of modern warfare: An extended book review of Peter Thompson's The Gas Mask in Interwar Germany
Abstract Ever since Germany's use of chlorine gas on the battlefields of Flanders during the First World War, modern warfare has become synonymous with gas warfare, its images an iconographic shorthand for a detached, humiliating, and dishonourable death, and the gas mask a modern symbol of mem...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley-VCH
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Natural Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ntls.20230021 |
| _version_ | 1797338622509187072 |
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| author | Ulf Schmidt |
| author_facet | Ulf Schmidt |
| author_sort | Ulf Schmidt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Ever since Germany's use of chlorine gas on the battlefields of Flanders during the First World War, modern warfare has become synonymous with gas warfare, its images an iconographic shorthand for a detached, humiliating, and dishonourable death, and the gas mask a modern symbol of memento mori, a reminder of our own mortality. The paper argues that a critical history of chemical weapons and protective technologies, which is firmly grounded in the historiography and pays particular attention to the wider political and scientific context and related complexities, can help to facilitate greater public understanding and a willingness among key stakeholders to prioritise a shared interest: the creation of a world free from chemical weapons once and for all. Through an extended book review of Peter Thompson's recent book The Gas Mask in Interwar Germany, the paper seeks to demonstrate that writing such a history of modern warfare poses distinct challenges. Across eight chapters, the book covers, among others, the history of the first attack with chlorine gas in 1915, the development of gas masks, the perceived fear of gas among soldiers, the role of doctors in treating gas casualties, the role and writings of “gas specialists”, and, last but not least, the alleged realisation of a specific “Nazi chemical modernity”, through which the author attempts to connect the subject matter with the Holocaust. Such a wide‐ranging, longue durée perspective can be fruitful if it is done with an attention to critical source analyses and balanced argumentation. Whether the book will inspire scholars to “rewrite the history of the twentieth century”, as the author implies, remains to be seen, but its broad discussion about the perceived and real implications of chemical agents and other “invisible toxins” undoubtedly offers food for thought in an increasingly volatile and seemingly threatening world. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:33:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-87d88add1d1044b1959b327853b5953d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2698-6248 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:33:57Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley-VCH |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Natural Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-87d88add1d1044b1959b327853b5953d2024-01-30T16:25:43ZengWiley-VCHNatural Sciences2698-62482024-01-0141n/an/a10.1002/ntls.20230021Grounding the history of modern warfare: An extended book review of Peter Thompson's The Gas Mask in Interwar GermanyUlf Schmidt0Department of History, Faculty of Humanities University of Hamburg Hamburg GermanyAbstract Ever since Germany's use of chlorine gas on the battlefields of Flanders during the First World War, modern warfare has become synonymous with gas warfare, its images an iconographic shorthand for a detached, humiliating, and dishonourable death, and the gas mask a modern symbol of memento mori, a reminder of our own mortality. The paper argues that a critical history of chemical weapons and protective technologies, which is firmly grounded in the historiography and pays particular attention to the wider political and scientific context and related complexities, can help to facilitate greater public understanding and a willingness among key stakeholders to prioritise a shared interest: the creation of a world free from chemical weapons once and for all. Through an extended book review of Peter Thompson's recent book The Gas Mask in Interwar Germany, the paper seeks to demonstrate that writing such a history of modern warfare poses distinct challenges. Across eight chapters, the book covers, among others, the history of the first attack with chlorine gas in 1915, the development of gas masks, the perceived fear of gas among soldiers, the role of doctors in treating gas casualties, the role and writings of “gas specialists”, and, last but not least, the alleged realisation of a specific “Nazi chemical modernity”, through which the author attempts to connect the subject matter with the Holocaust. Such a wide‐ranging, longue durée perspective can be fruitful if it is done with an attention to critical source analyses and balanced argumentation. Whether the book will inspire scholars to “rewrite the history of the twentieth century”, as the author implies, remains to be seen, but its broad discussion about the perceived and real implications of chemical agents and other “invisible toxins” undoubtedly offers food for thought in an increasingly volatile and seemingly threatening world.https://doi.org/10.1002/ntls.20230021chemical warfare prepardnesschemical weaponsChemical Weapons Convention (CWC)Fritz Habergas masksGerman History |
| spellingShingle | Ulf Schmidt Grounding the history of modern warfare: An extended book review of Peter Thompson's The Gas Mask in Interwar Germany Natural Sciences chemical warfare prepardness chemical weapons Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Fritz Haber gas masks German History |
| title | Grounding the history of modern warfare: An extended book review of Peter Thompson's The Gas Mask in Interwar Germany |
| title_full | Grounding the history of modern warfare: An extended book review of Peter Thompson's The Gas Mask in Interwar Germany |
| title_fullStr | Grounding the history of modern warfare: An extended book review of Peter Thompson's The Gas Mask in Interwar Germany |
| title_full_unstemmed | Grounding the history of modern warfare: An extended book review of Peter Thompson's The Gas Mask in Interwar Germany |
| title_short | Grounding the history of modern warfare: An extended book review of Peter Thompson's The Gas Mask in Interwar Germany |
| title_sort | grounding the history of modern warfare an extended book review of peter thompson s the gas mask in interwar germany |
| topic | chemical warfare prepardness chemical weapons Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Fritz Haber gas masks German History |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ntls.20230021 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ulfschmidt groundingthehistoryofmodernwarfareanextendedbookreviewofpeterthompsonsthegasmaskininterwargermany |