Newsom, Leslie; (2024) The Invasion of Childhood: Militarism and Imperialism in British and German Childhoods, 1880-1918. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

By August 1914, the middle-class populations of Britain and Germany supported their respective militaries and empire to such an extent that they enthusiastically enlisted to fight for and defend the nation and empire. This middle-class support and enthusiasm for empire building and the military’s role in it will be demonstrated by looking through childhood, education, literature, toys, and games. Parents and teachers aimed to educate and influence their children and students to ensure they follow their world views, and for this reason childhood materials such as books and playthings reflect the interests and ambitions of society and the state. This study also aims to demonstrate how individuals and groups who wished to promote their idea about the ‘correct’ way to view, support, and engage with imperialism and the military, were able to use children’s literature and toys to invade the safe spaces of the classroom and playroom. Through a comparative approach it becomes evident that British and German middle-class society in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries harboured similarly high levels of support for imperialism and esteem for the military. These similarities undermine existing ideas of an overly militarised German society and a British society that was anti-militarist. Many of the themes of military and empire illuminated by this thesis are still present in twenty-first century childhoods.

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