German minorities in World War I: A comparative study of Britain and the USA

Abstract

Abstract This article deals with the experience of German minorities in Britain and the USA during World War I. The introductory section points to the fact that serious racial persecutions have taken place during total war in the twentieth century. The subsequent sections detail the experience of Germans in the USA and Britain respectively, pointing to the development of ethnic groups before 1914 and moving on to demonstrate the persecution that they faced from governments and public opinion in both countries. The conclusion compares the wartime experience of Germans in Britain and the USA, and suggests that in terms of strength of hostility, British and US treatment of enemy aliens remains similar. The main difference concerns the much smaller number of Germans in Britain and the greater ethnic diversity of the USA. These two factors, especially the former, meant that the British government could deal with its German population more thoroughly than could the Wilson administration in the USA.