The First World War. The French Experience

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February 7, 2024 • 52 mins

For France, the Great War is a serious and deep wound that she partially inflicted on herself. It is painful and has never fully healed. It is something personal, felt by all strata of the nation. From the humblest peasant to the richest industrialist, no layer of French society was spared in the great slaughter that the trenches were. The country itself still bears the scars of battles dating back nearly 110 years. Every city and village in France has a monument to the dead of the First World War, often with a staggering number of fallen soldiers considering the local population. And that's not counting the wounded, the mutilated, the traumatized.

We are not going to go through dates and battles. We are not going to summarize four years of destructive conflict by analyzing every move and strategic decision. Others have done it many times, surely better than me. No, we will focus on the experience of the country of France during those dreadful years from 1914 to 1918.

Timecodes:
Introduction
05:18 - On The War Path
13:22 - The Poilus
26:51 - France at War
42:18 - Life after 1918
48:11 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Artwork: Fête de L’Alsace-Lorraine le 17 novembre 1918. Les blessés défilent avenue des Champs-Elysées, Paris. Agence Rol, Public Domain (Gallica)

Recommended link: Blueprint for Armageddon, Hardcore History podcast by Dan Carlin