War in Peace: Paramilitary Violence in Europe after the Great War (The Greater War) - Softcover

Gerwarth, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019968605X ISBN 13: 9780199686056

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2013

Synopsis

The First World War did not end in November 1918. In Russia and Eastern Europe it finished up to a year earlier, and both there and elsewhere in Europe it triggered conflicts that lasted down to 1923. Paramilitary formations were prominent in this continuation of the war. They had some features of formal military organizations, but were used in opposition to the regular military as an instrument of revolution or as an adjunct or substitute for military forces when these were unable by themselves to put down a revolution (whether class or national). Paramilitary violence thus arose in different contexts. It was an important aspect of the violence unleashed by class revolution in Russia. It structured the counter-revolution in central and Eastern Europe, including Finland and Italy, which reacted against a mythic version of Bolshevik class violence in the name of order and authority. It also shaped the struggles over borders and ethnicity in the new states that replaced the multi-national empires of Russia, Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Turkey. It was prominent on all sides in the wars for Irish independence. In many cases, paramilitary violence was charged with political significance and acquired a long-lasting symbolism and influence.

War in Peace explores the differences and similarities between these various kinds of paramilitary violence within one volume for the first time. It thereby contributes to our understanding of the difficult transitions from war to peace. It also helps to re-situate the Great War in a longer-term context and to explain its enduring impact.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Gerwarth was born in Berlin and educated at Oxford where he also held a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship. He has been Professor of Modern History at University College Dublin and Director of UCD's Centre for War Studies since 2009. He is the author of several monographs and edited books on modern European history, most recently of a biography on Reinhard Heydrich.
John Horne was educated in Australia and Britain, and has taught modern European history for many years at Trinity College Dublin. He has published extensively on French history and on the comparative and transnational history of the Great War. He is a member of the board of the Centre for Research at the Historial de la Grande Guerre, Peronne, a founder member of EurohistXX, the research consortium in contemporary European history, and a member of the Royal Irish Academy.

Review

"War in Peace is a thorough, incisive read for any scholar and enthusiast of 20th century European history. It's definitely the academic sleeper hit of 2013, an ideal book for understanding more about the internecine politics that led to both world wars."--PopMatters

"War in Peace offers a valuable look not only at the 'war after the war' but also on the nature of paramilitary conflict, and the origins of fascism and collaborationism."--The NYMAS Review

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 019968605X
• ISBN 13: 9780199686056
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240