“I haven’t eaten so well for so long!”: Representations of the Allied blockade of Germany in German textbooks and film, 1914– 32

This chapter analyses evolving narratives surrounding the Allied Blockade (1914–19) in Germany during WWI through the Weimar era using textbooks and film. While existing scholarship has predominantly focused on the influence of hunger narratives in garnering support for the Nazi party and in shaping their food policies once elected, a notable gap exists in understanding the pre-Nazi evolution of these narratives. Recognizing textbooks and film as both political and cultural instruments and channels in history, this chapter demonstrates different ways that narratives evolved before NSDAP dominance. By using textbooks and films as both formal and informal instruments of hunger narratives, this chapter sheds light on the intricate memory politics of WWI and Weimar Germany. We find that portrayals of the hunger and the Allied Blockade were not only shaped by wartime exigencies or political agendas, but also by humour and broader societal ideologies such as alcohol prohibition. This underscores the layered significance of hunger narratives over time, highlighting its adaptable nature in victimhood discourses and its pivotal role in education, entertainment and political discourse” with “Hunger narratives were layered and the nature of victim discourse adaptable in education, entertainment, and political discourse.