1914–1918. The First World War
29 May to 30 November 2014
The First World War has
been characterised as the "seminal catastrophe" of the 20th century.
Nine million soldiers and almost six million civilians died in this
first industrialised, total war in history. It changed not only
subsequent armed conflicts, but also influenced political thought and
action for many years to come. In remembrance of the outbreak of the war
a hundred years ago, the exhibition offers a multifaceted overview of
the First World War as well as its prerequisites and consequences.
"1914–1918. The First World War" approaches this previously unknown
escalation of violence from a broad European and global perspective.
Taking 14 salient places as points of departure, the exhibition offers a
survey of the events and their different contexts. These places
represent specific battlefields – such as Verdun, Tannenberg or
Gallipoli – but also political-cultural centres like Petrograd and
Berlin as well as occupied cities and regions, including Brussels and
Galicia. All of the places stand for important stations and situations
in the war. They point to overriding developments: the modernisation of
war technology with its disastrous consequences for the people, the
worldwide wartime economy, the global escalation of the fighting as well
as the totalisation of the war, which not only affected the soldiers on
the fronts, but also mobilised the entire population.
Taking the example of individual biographies, the exhibition reveals
the very different ways in which the events were experienced and helps
visitors to understand how dramatically the violence of this “Great War”
affected the people. Here we encounter the fate and viewpoints of
well-known persons such as the war volunteer and author Ernst Jünger or
the artist and sculptress Käthe Kollwitz. But the wartime experiences of
little known soldiers and civilians are equally represented in the
exhibition by means of objects, letters and photographs.
Una rigorosa e bella mostra nel Museo della storia tedesca di Berlino sul primo conflitto del Novecento, la guerra che ha definito il secolo. Cinquecento oggetti per capire gli orrori di allora e non ripetere gli stessi errori
Guido Moltedo 3 giugno 2014
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