Greedy Elites and Poor Lambs: How Young Europeans Remember the Great War

Authors

  • Pierre Bouchat
    Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
  • Laurent Licata
    Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
  • Valérie Rosoux
    Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
  • Christian Allesch
    University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
  • Heinrich Ammerer
    University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
  • Maria Babinska
    University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
  • Michal Bilewicz
    University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
  • Magdalena Bobowik
    Universidad del País Vasco, San Sebastián, Spain
  • Inna Bovina
    Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russia
  • Susanne Bruckmüller
    University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Nuremberg, Germany
  • Rosa Cabecinhas
    Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal
  • Xenia Chryssochoou
    Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece
  • István Csertő
    Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
  • Sylvain Delouvée
    Université Rennes 2, Rennes, France
  • Federica Durante
    Università degli Studi di Milano – Bicocca, Milan, Italy
  • Andreea Ernst-Vintila
    Université Paris-Ouest Nanterre, Paris, France
  • Christine Flassbeck
    Helmut-Schmidt-Universität, Hamburg, Germany
  • Renata Franc
    Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Zagreb, Croatia
  • Denis Hilton
    Université de Toulouse II, Toulouse, France
  • Serap Keles
    University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
  • Chantal Kesteloot
    Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society, Brussels, Belgium
  • Reşit Kışlıoğlu
    Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany
  • Alice Krenn
    University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
  • Irina Macovei
    Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza din Iași, Iași, Romania
  • Silvia Mari
    Università degli Studi di Milano – Bicocca, Milan, Italy
  • Vanja Medugorac
    Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Zagreb, Croatia
  • Nebojša Petrović
    University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Tibor Pólya
    Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
  • Maaris Raudsepp
    Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia
  • Alberto Sá
    Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal
  • Inari Sakki
    University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  • Vladimir Turjacanin
    University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • Salman Türken
    University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
  • Laurence van Ypersele
    Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
  • Danijel Vojak
    Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Zagreb, Croatia
  • Chiara Volpato
    Università degli Studi di Milano – Bicocca, Milan, Italy
  • Geneviève Warland
    Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
  • Olivier Klein
    Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

Abstract

The present study examines current social representations associated with the origins of the Great War, a major event that has profoundly affected Europe. A survey conducted in 20 European countries (N = 1906 students in social sciences) shows a high consensus: The outbreak of the war is attributed to the warring nations’ leaders while the responsibility of the populations is minimized. Building on the concept of social representation of history (Liu & Hilton, 2005), we suggest that the social representations of the Great War fulfill social psychological functions in contemporary Europe. We suggest that WWI may function as a charter for European integration. Their content also suggests a desire to distinguish a positively valued ingroup ("the people") from powerful elites, construed as an outgroup.