The Thirty-Years War, 1914–1945: Mapping the Battlefields of the Past for the Construction of the European Future

Abstract

The Great or First World War inaugurated an era of slaughter on the European Continent. This thirty year period between 1914 and 1945 can arguably be considered the bloodiest in the history of humankind. Entire libraries deal with the military, economic and diplomatic aspects of this period of Total War. There are many reminders left in the landscape: fortifications, trenches, cemeteries, all of these are mute witnesses of the descent into barbarism. The most recent projects make battlefields accessible and comprehensible through conceptual and technical means, and show that these historical spaces are a highly effective resource for comprehending European history during the first half of the 20th century.