BRITS VS ‘KULTUR’- EKSTEIN’S TAKE ON WWI de la Torre, 1

Brits vs ‘Kultur’: Ekstein’s Take On WWI

Maria Jose de la Torre Ramirez

History of Intl. Relations

Professor Rolf Olsen

IE University

Dec 3rd 2019

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World War I was a confusing affair for all parties involved, there were remarkable

body counts simultaneous with reports of an apparent friendly football game between

opposing armies. Nevertheless, it goes without saying that the war had enormous

repercussions in society and the relationship within and between nations. A recurrent

question that arises is how the war persisted in spite of circumstances that

characterized the conditions of the soldiers and the truth about the interaction between

them. Ekstein, in his book “The Rite of Spring”, proficiently presents an argument that

nationalism was the key factor for the prolongation of World War I under unprecedented

crippling circumstances of warfare. The author affirms that the root of British nationalism

stemmed in the British ideal of being the keepers of the status quo while the German

nationalism was rooted in the dream of progress, he achieves this whilst also providing

evidence against the idea of a total armistice based on the Christmas Truce of 1914. 

A number of rumors around the fraternization between opposing sides of the war

were circulating around the population and war officials. What later became the

“Christmas Truce of 1914” was the story of the soldiers coming together in the eve of

Christmas for a friendly game of football and exchange of gifts. In his work, Ekstein

describes the various accounts that constantly credit or discredited the extent of the

armistice between enemies. Nevertheless, he is quick in disgracing the intentions

underlying the event by pointing out that regardless of the truce, the motivations of war

remained untouched. Ekstein proposes tha the Christmas Truce happened for a number

of reasons other than simple good will. The most evident one being the brutality of the

first five months of war, “The· Germans lost a million men in the first five months.
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France, in the "battle of the frontiers" of August, lost over 300,000 men in two weeks.

Some regiments lost three quarters of their men in the first month.” (Ekstein, 1989, p.

281). On the other hand, weather conditions being at their absolute worst and the low

morale and poor relationship between officials and soldiers also contributed to the

glimpse of courtesy, “Weather and trench conditions spurred the development of

afriendly feeling between the warring parties, but the deteriorating relationship between

officers and men, particularly between commanders behind the lines and men in the

front lines, also contributed to the mood that produced the events of Christmas.

(Ekstein, 1989, p. 285). In short, the Christmas Truce of 1914 was a far-fetched event

that occurred in the early stages of war. It also serves to explain the motifs of war

behind Germany and Great Britain.

Great Britain came into the war with a mission, that which promised to maintain

order and civilized ways that characterized their country and their people. This point of

view was wildly spread throughout various methods of propaganda and news, and

eventually served to portray the Germans as the antithesis of everything they stood for.

“The British mission, whether in the wider world, the empire, or at home among her own

populace, was principally one of extending the sense of civic virtue, of teaching both the

foreigner and the uneducated Briton the rules of civilized social conduct, the rules for

"playing the game."” (Ekstein, 1989, p. 291). Indeed, the conditions of war may have led

the soldiers astray at times and inclined them to fraternize with their enemies, but these

interactions were also characterized with a sense of condescendence towards the

Germans. “The French looked on the Germans as pagans; the British regarded them as

barbarians; so normal Christian behavior was not to be expected of them on Christmas

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Day.” (Ekstein, 1989, p. 287). One of the aspects of British culture that was instrumental

in igniting the nationalism that characterized the collective motif of the war was a spike

interest in sports. From rugby to cricket, but especially football, were the reason that

eventually led to fanatics to become volunteers and enlist to war. “Sports then, were to

serve both a moral and a physical purpose, they would encourage self-reliance and

team spirit they would build up the individual and integrate him into the group.” (Ekstein,

1989, p. 294). The British soldiers had to face mental and physical hardships, being

constantly discouraged by failed attempts to retract the enemy and additionally being

beaten by weather conditions. The overcoming of the soldiers’ situation was a constant

need of reminder of the ultimate purpose, “every hour we should remind ourselves that

it is our great privilege to save the traditions of all centuries behind us. It's a grand

opportunity, and we must spare no effort to use it, for if we fail, we shall curse ourselves

in bitterness every year that we live, and our children will despise our memory. (Ekstein,

1989, p. 293).

On the other hand, German nationalism was rooted in a completely different

place than their adversary. Germany was currently standing as the leader of modern

thinking and society, this was pushed further by arts, music and poetry. There lied the

fundamental difference between Germany and British motifs, Germany was at war to

defend Kultur, the German ideal and way of thinking, “For the Germans this was a war

to change the world; for the British this was a war to preserve a world. The Germans

were propelled by a vision, the British by a legacy.” (Ekstein, 1989, p. 292). The

Germans were fighting a spiritual war, and Eksein argued that may have been one of
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the reasons why it was easier for Germans to stay motivated and face the hardships

with an open chest. “If Germany was the principal activist, and hence modernist, nation

of the jin-de-siede world, then Great Britain was the major conservative power.

Germany's disruptive energy threatened the essence of Britain's accomplishment, which

was the establishment of a measure of law and order in the world.” (Ekstein, 1989, p.

292).

Ekstein, in his book “The Rite of Spring”, masters the way he explains the

underlying factors that played a part in igniting nationalism between the naitons fighting

World War I. Through the explanation of the Christmas Truce of 1914 he is able to

reproduce in his writing the sentiments of the soldiers at war at the time and why the

events took place. Ekstein also delves into explaining the point of view of the war for the

Brits and the fact that their own ideal of greatness and keepers of social order were

responsible for the insisting troops. Simultanoesly, the modernist revolution that

characterized the Germans at the time created their ‘Kultur’. Ekstein argues that

Germans were fighting a spiritual war, a war of progress and modernization, and not

mere political ideologies.

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Bibliography:

 Ekstein, M. (1989). Rites of Spring’s: The Great War and The Birth of The

Modern Age.