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FormatDissertation
CreatorWatts, Susanne Schenk
TitleGemütlichkeit Verboten: The Influence of World War I Anti-German Sentiments on Prohibition
Dissertation Note (type -- academic institution)M.A. Thesis (History) -- University of North Dakota
Date2020
Extent of Work210 pages
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AbstractThe proximity and simultaneity of World War I and Prohibition pose questions of a shared and connected relationship. The current historiography falls short to connect these two seminal events and their impact on German-American communities. This study expands the existing literature by analyzing the reactions of two German-American communities (New Ulm, Minnesota, and St. Louis, Missouri) to Prohibition against the backdrop of anti-German sentiments of World War I. Using a diverse range of sources (anti-German war propaganda material, Anti-Saloon League posters, material from the United States Brewers’ Association and US Senate investigation, as well as German and English-language newspapers from New Ulm and St. Louis), this thesis reveals that anti-German war rhetoric played an instrumental role in the Prohibition campaign by targeting German-American cultural traditions. Furthermore, the demographic background of these two German-American communities and their levels of assimilation also influenced their reactions to Prohibition.
Call NumberDigital file
MKI TermsAnti-German sentiment/ World War, 1914-1918/ German Americans/ Prohibition