‘Fighting a Philosophy’: The Figure of Nietzsche in British Propaganda of the First World War

Author: Martin N.¹

Source: The Modern Language Review, Volume 98, Number 2, 1 April 2003 , pp. 367-380(14)

Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association

Key:

- Free Content

- New Content

- Subscribed Content

- Free Trial Content

Abstract:

The article describes how Nietzsche's name became a focus for the expression of anti-German sentiment in writings by British opinion-formers and propagandists at the time of the First World War. Drawing on a range of sources, this essay counters the view that Nietzsche's impact on British public opinon in 1914 was negligible. It is argued that the singular view of Nietzsche which emerged in Britain at this time was due not only to the demands of wartime propaganda but also to the malleability of Nietzsche's texts. The article emphasizes the irony of this exploitation, given Nietzsche's hostility to nationalism and ‘Germanness’.

Keywords: Nietzsche's; anti-German sentiment; the First World War; wartime propaganda; nationalism

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: University of St Andrews

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$21.89 plus tax Refund Policy