Overview

Shell shock was the great leveler of post-war experience. Beyond the Great Silence traces the stories of shell-shocked soldiers and civilians through hospital notes and other contemporary records from Britain and Germany. Medical authorities were reluctant to accept the link between illness and war and thus deprived shell shock victims not only of their pensions but also of a much-needed explanation for their suffering. The rise of shell shock exemplifies the traumatic experience of the Great War. It has transcended its original meaning as a medical concept in historical and cultural discourse. Beyond the Great Silence documents the long journeys of traumatized servicemen through the hospitals of London and Berlin in the post-war years, based on unique source material. It tells the stories of shell shock behind the lines, of the women and children terrified by the German air raids of Britain, the civilians on both sides who buckled under the pressure of the war years, and the prisoners of war who suffered under constant uncertainty. During the war itself, military medicine of all combatant nations faced very similar challenges. All countries had to ensure the fighting strength of their forces in the face of increasing numbers of traumatized soldiers. After the war, the Allied and Axis Powers were in very different situations. Whereas London returned to a period of relative stability, Berlin became the chaotic center of a failed state. For the traumatized soldiers treated at the Charité in Berlin or the National Hospital in London, this did not make much of a difference - hospitals continued to operate on both sides with surprising efficiency, and the trauma of war only knows victims, no victors. Beyond the suffering caused by shell shock, many veterans suffered further humiliation by being denied a pension because they had been relabeled with a neurological diagnosis that was unrelated to the war or by being branded as 'psychopaths' with an inherited mental weakness. The medical system was thus quick to cut the link between the illness of the veterans and the war experience, which cut off many veterans not only from their war pension but also from an explanation for their suffering. Beyond the Great Silence combines the personal experience of the traumatized patients with the medical literature and press reports of the time to provide the cultural background for the varying presentations of shell shock and responses of the medical professionals and wider society. Shell shock was a deeply political concept, and its history can only be understood against the backdrop of the revolutionary changes in European societies in the aftermath of the war. AUTHOR: Stefanie Linden is a psychiatrist and historian of psychiatry. She has worked in mental health services in Germany and the United Kingdom and completed a PhD on shell shock at King's College London, which was the basis for her 2017 book ""They Called It Shell Shock"", also published with Helion. She is a lecturer in the Dept. of Health, Ethics and Society at Maastricht University and an Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff University. 40 b/w photos, 8 b/w illustrations, 3 tables, 1 graph

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9781804514306

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Reviews

""Another splendid work of scholarship, beautifully written and brilliantly researched. There are few, if any, who know more about this topic than Dr Linden, and this book will define the field for years to come.""--Simon Shorvon, Professor of Neurology, University College London ""In the second volume of her enthralling and brilliantly illustrated study of shell shock, Dr Linden takes the story from the end of the First World War to the start of the Second. Her particular strength is to be able to compare and contrast views on the nature, treatment, and outcome of shell shock between Britain and Germany, the winners and losers of the war itself. At the same time, her in-depth case histories never lose sight of long-term psychological damage that war veterans experienced on both sides. She concludes that although the medical and military authorities either turned against shell shock (Britain) or never embraced it (Germany), shell shock would be preserved to this day in our cultural history.""--Professor Sir Simon Wesseley FRS, Regius Chair of Psychiatry, King's College London ""Beyond the Great Silence offers a comprehensive and insightful examination of the aftermath of World War I, with a specific focus on the emotional and mental impacts on soldiers and civilians in both Britain and Germany. I wholeheartedly recommend it. This work is essential reading for anyone interested in comprehending the profound and enduring effects of World War I. It makes a valuable addition to the historiography of the war, offering a well-rounded and empathetic portrayal of its psychological legacy.""--Dr Tom Thorpe, PR & Press Trustee and presenter/producer, ""Mentioned in Dispatches"" Podcast, The Western Front Association

"""Another splendid work of scholarship, beautifully written and brilliantly researched. There are few, if any, who know more about this topic than Dr Linden, and this book will define the field for years to come.""--Simon Shorvon, Professor of Neurology, University College London ""In the second volume of her enthralling and brilliantly illustrated study of shell shock, Dr Linden takes the story from the end of the First World War to the start of the Second. Her particular strength is to be able to compare and contrast views on the nature, treatment, and outcome of shell shock between Britain and Germany, the winners and losers of the war itself. At the same time, her in-depth case histories never lose sight of long-term psychological damage that war veterans experienced on both sides. She concludes that although the medical and military authorities either turned against shell shock (Britain) or never embraced it (Germany), shell shock would be preserved to this day in our cultural history.""--Professor Sir Simon Wesseley FRS, Regius Chair of Psychiatry, King's College London ""Beyond the Great Silence offers a comprehensive and insightful examination of the aftermath of World War I, with a specific focus on the emotional and mental impacts on soldiers and civilians in both Britain and Germany. I wholeheartedly recommend it. This work is essential reading for anyone interested in comprehending the profound and enduring effects of World War I. It makes a valuable addition to the historiography of the war, offering a well-rounded and empathetic portrayal of its psychological legacy.""--Dr Tom Thorpe, PR & Press Trustee and presenter/producer, ""Mentioned in Dispatches"" Podcast, The Western Front Association"

Author Information

Stefanie Linden is a psychiatrist and historian of psychiatry. She has worked in mental health services in Germany and the United Kingdom and completed a PhD on shell shock at King's College London, which was the basis for her 2017 book ""They Called It Shell Shock"", also published with Helion. She is a lecturer in the Dept. of Health, Ethics and Society at Maastricht University and an Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff University.

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