La Prima guerra mondiale e l'uso pubblico della storia in Lituania: i nuovi Cavalieri teutonici

Abstract

At the outburst of the First World War, the mobilization of masses represented, even if for different reasons, an unavoidable goal for both the Imperial powers and national intellectual groups operating in the Tsarist Empire. Symbols and elements of national mythology were often used as cultural mobilization instruments. Lithuanian intellectuals based their mobilization work mainly on the memory of the Battle of Grünwald (1410). When the German occupation began, the Lithuanians used the category of “Teutonic bestiality” to make sense of their experience.

Keywords

• First World War
• Cultural memory
• Lithuania
• Identity
• Mobilization