Bereaved and aggrieved: combat motivation and the ideology of sacrifice in the First World War

Abstract

This article re-examines the role of sacrificial ideology in motivating Germans and Britons to fight between 1914 and 1918. Contrary to current historiography, it contends that the ideology remained relevant in the war's mass slaughter and even exacerbated the violence. It begins by noting the ubiquity of sacrificial rhetoric and symbolism during peacetime and explains their importance in the mobilization of August 1914. It then explores how the ideology adapted to the circumstances of modern combat. The article shows that concepts of sacrifice not only remained resonant for most soldiers, but actually encouraged them to endure and seek vengeance to vindicate their dead.