The American diplomat and historian George Frost Kennan called the First World War "the primary catastrophe of the 20th century," thus agreeing with Lyautey, who, speaking from Morocco in August 1914, exclaimed, speaking of the declaration of war: "It is the most monumental stupidity the world has ever made." If this war was unbearable, unbearable both physically and morally for the French and allies, we must not lose sight of the fact that it was just as much for the Germans, with the added obligation to bear the frustration and shame of having lost it. Germanic culture is renowned for its brilliance, whether in literature, music, plastic arts, architecture, painting, furniture, or porcelain. This brilliance is reflected even in the design of orders and medals from the 18th century onward and, in this specialty, continued until 1918. The care taken with enamels, metal carving, and assemblies worthy of a Swiss watchmaker are unequaled. The goldsmiths of Dresden in Saxony and Berlin in Prussia are particularly notable. This book aims, after having unpacked the complexity of the administrative and political systems of the Second Reich, to explain the variety of certain orders and all the medals of the First World War, different from one state to another, even though all these states were included in the Empire of which Wilhelm II was Emperor but also King of Prussia.
Available in september 2025
