'To love one's enemy' : British humanitarian relief for German civilians, c.1914-1925
This thesis studies British relief efforts for German civilians in Britain during the Great War and in Germany from the war's conclusion through to the mid-1920s. The main charities it examines are the two Quaker organisations the Friends' Emergency Committee for the Assistance of Germans, Austrians, and Hungarians in Distress and its successor the Friends' Emergency and War Victims' Relief Committee, as well as the Save the Children Fund. These relief efforts drew together a variety of individuals and organisations from across Britain, Germany, and the wider world, who possessed a range of different ideas regarding peacebuilding, religion, international relations, and 'organised compassion' in the context of total war and the breakdown of international relations. This thesis uncovers how British humanitarian work for Germany emerged and operated through the interaction of these actors and ideas. In particular, a dominant thread running through this thesis is how aid work was viewed by its practitioners not simply as a way for saving lives, but a tool for bettering the world itself: not simply carrying out acts of humanity in a world at war, they sought to create a more humane and progressive world. In effect,
Holmes, B.
Humanitarianism ; Pacifism ; Quakers ; First World War ; Save the Children ; Charity ; Faith
'To love one's enemy' : British humanitarian relief for German civilians, c.1914-1925. This thesis studies British relief efforts for German civilians in Britain during the Great War and in Germany from the war's conclusion through to the mid-1920s. The main charities it examines are the two Quaker organisations the Friends' Emergency Committee for the Assistance of Germans, Austrians, and Hungarians in Distress and its successor the Friends' Emergency and War Victims' Relief Committee, as well as the Save the Children Fund. These relief efforts drew together a variety of individuals and organisations from across Britain, Germany, and the wider world, who possessed a range of different ideas regarding peacebuilding, religion, international relations, and 'organised compassion' in the context of total war and the breakdown of international relations. This thesis uncovers how British humanitarian work for Germany emerged and operated through the interaction of these actors and ideas. In particular, a dominant thread running through this thesis is how aid work was viewed by its practitioners not simply as a way for saving lives, but a tool for bettering the world itself: not simply carrying out acts of humanity in a world at war, they sought to create a more humane and progressive world. In effect,
love enemy british humanitarian relief german civilian study british relief effort german civilian britain great war germany war conclusion mid main charity examine quaker organisation friends emergency committee assistance germans distress successor friends emergency war relief committee well save children fund relief effort draw_together variety individual organisation across_britain germany wider world possessed range_different idea regard religion international_relation organised compassion context total war breakdown international_relation uncovers british humanitarian work germany emerge operate interaction actor idea particular dominant thread run aid work view practitioner simply way save life tool world simply carry act humanity world_war seek create progressive world effect