Middle-Class Masculinity in England: Examining Citizen-Soldier Volunteers of the First World War
Journal: Western CEDAR (Western Washington University)
Year: 2020

This thesis explores the origins of the idolized masculine archetype known as the citizen-soldier in Edwardian era England. It shows the process of its construction during the Victorian era and how it was maneuvered by the state and middle-class population to cultivate consent for volunteerism during the First World War. To claim that men volunteered to fight due to a sense of patriotism or thirst for adventure is too simplistic, and fails to account for historical processes. The educated middle