Be Prepared: Empire, War, and the Culture of Survival in Modern Britain

FAIN: FT-229329-15

Ellen R. Boucher
Amherst College (Amherst, MA 01002-2372)

Summer research and writing on British History, Cultural and European History.

The destructive potential of war for civilians expanded dramatically in the twentieth century, from the advent of aerial bombing through the nuclear threat. This project offers a new perspective on the history of total war by charting how British popular understandings of survival changed in response to the evolving technologies and practices of modern warfare. Usually viewed only as a matter of state policy or military strategy, the concept of preparedness also dominated civilian responses to war. In revealing how survival became a site of contestation over the responsibilities of government, the nature of individualism, and the conduct of war, this project highlights the vital role played by debates about preparedness in shaping the cultural and political possibilities of the postwar world.