Rites Of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age

This book came to me, I’ll sheepishly concede, by website, which informed me I might like it because I had favorably reviewed Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory. I knew nothing of Ecksteins but swallowed the hook and bought the book. It sat for a while but I have no regrets.Ecksteins’ cultural history is an academic undertaking, and features three main sections, or “Acts.” The first takes a look at the pre-war art scene in Europe, focusing on the genesis of Stravinsky’s ballet and its premier performances in Paris and Berlin. The Modernist ideas evinced in the ballet resonated differently by society, Ecksteins argues, and the contrary receptions reflected different inclinations toward revolutionary thought. As he moves through his second “Act,” Ecksteins’ focus turns to the war itself and the various national motivations. The Germans seemed animated by a forward-looking, revisionist mysticism while the English looked to traditional values for inspiration. The finale seeks to draw a line through the singularity of the Great War, from the individualism of German mysticism to the displaced narcissism of the German fascists.In some ways, Ecksteins tells the story of a revisionist power unable to complete the revision, despite trying twice, driven both times by the same mythology. I am not deeply immersed in the cultural history, but my schooling taught me different motivations for the two conflicts. That Ecksteins implies the animating force for Germany in both wars was the same is problematic to me. Still, he makes a soundly-reasoned and well-researched argument.This book was supposedly revisionist history when it came out two decades ago. I’m not sufficiently immersed in the literature to gauge that, nor do I know what other scholars did with Ecksteins’ arguments. What I know is that the book, as an academic exercise, is a sound one and enlightening, even if its conclusions might be debatable.

The book starts out with a review of the changes in architecture and art near the end of le Belle Époque in France. The book covers the writings of such luminaries as Thomas Mann (literature), Nijinsky (Ballet), Auguste Perret (architecture), and Igor Stravinsky (music). The initial theme of the book basically covers that fact that the seeds of change are born many years before the cataclysmic events that we relate to and remember as the cause of the change. (In effect, the OLD is swept away by a series of events and the NEW is now free to grow and bloom on the ashes and wreckage of the old.) This is evoked by the production of Stravinsky's "The Rites of Spring" as performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in 1913 in Paris. The theater itself is an astonishing departure from its most famous predecessor, the Opéra de Paris Garnier. A comparison of the latest changes from the era of le Belle Époque is shown in the Opéra de la Bastille (not mentioned in the book).The concrete structure of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the production of "The Rites of Spring", and the dancing of Nijinsky all come together to show that the NEW was in it's infancy and only lying in wait for the OLD to be swept away. The First World War was this instrument of destruction. The book then proceeds to work through the many ways that the war performed this destruction.Some of these include:1) The wholesale destruction of the early combatants (and their now old fashioned sensibilities of combat) by a newly mechanized and industrial method of warfare.2) The realization as the war progressed that there really were no non-combatants as everybody soon became potential targets under the (proverbial) guns. The German naval raids on Hartlepool and Scarborough, the first air raids of London, and the shelling of Paris (the Paris Gun) all portended the truly mass destruction of cities in the Second World War.3) The deployment of the new weapons of war, the airplane, submarine, and tank.4) The use of mechanical weapons as mass killing machines like the Maxim machine gun (infantry), the breech loaded pneumatically recoiled rapid fire canon like the French 75 (infantry and counter-battery), and the super heavy cannon like the Skoda 30.5cm & the Krupp 42cm (fortifications).And, finally, the pace of the war itself as it went through the destruction of men, machines, cities, and regimes. (And, while not mentioned in this book, I personally believe that the Second World War was a continuation of this process. Just have a look at modern views of Paris, which was not heavily damaged in WW2 with London & Berlin, which were, for examples of architectural changes.)So, stick to it with the book & you will get an alternative view to the ultimate results of the war other than a simple rendition of the effects of the combat.Additionally, when reading this book:1) Use an internet connection and take a look at the write-ups on the people, events, and machines mentioned. Wikipedia is a pretty good reference here as it covers basic historical events and is not influenced by the flame wars of more modern topics or people (like Bush & Obama where the descriptions change on an hourly basis).2) Get a copy of Stravinsky's "The Rites of Spring" from your local library and listen to it. Also, you might also want to listen to "The Firebird".

This book reminded me of works I read in my undergraduate history courses at university. The reason is prior background reading and study into the period is needed to fully comprehend the themes and arguments. (As an amateur historian, it is my opinion.) It is a great book however and I recommend it, but I did have to reference other material to fully comprehend the culture and attitudinal references made during the period. For example I had to do a brief side research into the history of Ballet.Interestingly, there is an entire section on Charles Lindberg, whose grave is approximately half a days drive from my home. I knew a bit about him, been to that grave, but learned a lot more by that interesting section. It took me awhile to see how that fit into the book, but after a lot of contemplation, I understand now how it possibly relates to factors later in the WWII. (The post WWI period)I recommend the book, but it felt difficult at times, but ultimately enjoyable.

A really interesting book giving a profound insight into the culture and society that went to war in 1914. Opened up a number of new perspectives and lines of thought for me about modern civilization. Well worth reading.

Superb intellectually stimulating appraisal of the cultural and socio political atmosphere of early 20th century Europe. especially Germany and Russia as they were and what was to become.a must read for anybody interested in European history of the period

A most extraordinary book, exhilarating, deep, complex and learned, linking the Ballets Russes to the rise of Nazism, and the birth of the modern world. Like nothing else.

I have read a great deal of history but never before have I read it in this form.Modris Ekstein's 'Rites of Spring' is a well-crafted history of the transition from the Belle Epoque to fin-de-siècle angst and the debacle of WWI through art and culture. It reads very well, is academic and gives us reasons for the pervasive social malaise from the 19th to the 20th centuries. An alternative view of the bristling, sabre-rattling political events leading up to the Great War.A must-read for anyone interested in history, culture, art and civilization.The sequel of sorts, Solar Dance, is equally fascinating and cleverly laid out. Eksteins uses Vincent van Gogh as the pivot around which profound cultural change revolves. These books were my 'eureka' moment.Both should be on curriculums for students of history.

A thoroughly enjoyable account of how the modern world came to be modern. It starts with Kijinsky, the Russian dancer, who defied all the conventions of the time. The research is exhaustive and the facts he unearths make it a lively and scholarly book. If you like reading history, I do recommend this book.