La vogue du jouet militaire dans la première moitié du xxe siècle

Abstract

This longitudinal study proposes a methodology for quantifying the popularity of military toys in the first half of the 20th century. From the beginning of the century to the 1920s, the vogue for military toys is as strong as it had been in the previous century, but it peaks during the First War to fall to a level much lower than that before the conflict. It stays at this low level till World War II. This vogue seems to be linked to the importance of the educational role of the military toy in the young people’s patriotic preparation, marked by a strong military culture inherited from the 19th century. In the 1920s and 1930s, under the influence of feminist and pacifist movements, education embraced a republican ideal that was less chauvinistic, more humanist, and respectful of nations, which reduced the attractiveness of the military toy.

Keywords

• toys
• history of toys
• war
• interwar period