Monday, 21 August 2017

The Great War +100 - Women in the conflict

Online Episode 40 of the digital calendar dedicated to the Great War

Versione stampabile

“Women in the conflict” is the theme of the latest installment of the digital calendar dedicated to the Great War. 

This installment is introduced by a reflection on the appeal made by Pope Benedict XV to all of the world leaders. Starting from the assumption that the war had become a “useless massacre”, in his appeal the Pope asked all the leaders to make an effort to find peace without winners or losers.

On the subject of women in war, the calendar has texts and testimonies about Germany, Poland and France complied by partners in the project. The editors of the project, coordinated by the Humanities department of the University of Trento (prod. Gustavo Corni), explain that, “the conflict gave women roles of greater responsibility and work possibilities which had previously been unavailable to them. However, one can’t talk about a long-lasting emancipation. Once the war was over, and with the social and economic problems of the post-war period, many of the possibilities that women had had disappeared. But at least in Great Britain and Germany, the sacrifices made by women during the war, above all substituting their husbands, fathers and brothers that were called to arms, helped give women the right to vote.”

The infographic in the calendar proposes some statistical data (not univocal) about the rise of women in the workforce in the factories producing weaponry. The photo gallery is also dedicated to the same topic.

It is also possible to follow the calendar of the Great War on Facebook (La Grande Guerra più 100) and on Twitter (https://twitter.com/GGpiu100). 

From May 2015, all of the contents are available in English, with special in-depth content from historians from the universities of Innsbruck, Cracovia and Montpellier.

Follow the calendar month-by-month