Masculinity in Crisis, Manhood at War

Abstract

This paper explores the possible factors that pushed Britain to enter the First World War, specifically focusing on the crisis of masculinity that emerged in the pre-war years and how this phenomenon shaped the nation’s attitude towards war. This paper argues that in response to the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the transition away from physical labour jobs towards ‘bookish’ and ‘effeminate’ white-collar occupations, many men of the prewar era perceived their masculinity as being under both scrutiny and attack. This, in addition to a romanticised view of war, a ‘duty’ to save the women of Europe from the ‘sexually barbaric’ Germans, and a culture with institutions that made masculinity synonymous with the military, ultimately played a major role in convincing many young men to enlist and, generally, turned public opinion pro-war. The pre-war crisis of masculinity and subsequent campaign which framed the war as its solution, amongst other factors, largely contributed to Britain’s decision to enter the First World War.