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World War I subject collection
XX739
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Title: World War I subject collection
Date (bulk): 1914-1919
Collection Number: XX739
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In German, English, French, and other languages
Physical Description:
33 manuscript boxes, 16 oversize boxes, 20 oversize folders, 1 microfilm reel
(36.3 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Books, booklets, correspondence, drawings, flyers, forms, leaflets, maps, memorabilia, newspapers and clippings, pamphlets,
press releases, sheet music, and other printed matter and ephemera relating to military operations and home front conditions,
particularly in Germany and the United States, during World War I.
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Boxes 47-48 and FH3 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research.
Materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the
collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Materials acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
[Identification of item], World War I subject collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Scope and Contents of Collection
This collection consists of a wide assortment of materials relating to World War I, and, to a lesser extent, the period immediately
before and after, acquired from and donated by various individuals over time. As a result, in certain instances there are
groupings of materials on the same topic, although often there are other materials on the same topic located elsewhere in
the collection.
One major topic of the collection is military operations, including recruiting and enlistment; orders and instructions; battle
summaries and war news, particularly related to battle lines and fronts (often in the form of maps); and occupation of enemy
territory. While there is some material related to the British and French militaries, as well as those of other European countries
involved in the war, the bulk of the materials on this topic relate to the German and United States militaries. The American
materials are largely about recruiting and enlistment, while the German materials feature war news, military orders, and notices
to inhabitants of occupied towns.
Another major topic of the collection is home front conditions, including financing the war, garnering public support for
the war, patriotic activities, and rationing. The United War Work Campaign and Liberty bonds in the United States and Kriegsanleihe
(war bonds) in Germany are particularly well represented. Also of note are drawings and cartoons, which often depict caricatures
of the nations involved in the war, as well as sheet music of patriotic songs, largely from the United States and France.
Additionally, there are ration cards from Germany, Great Britain, France, Russia, and Poland and informational materials from
the United States about the rationing of food and goods.
The collection also covers the German Revolution of 1918 and the work of welfare/relief organizations such as the Red Cross,
Y.M.C.A., American Committee for Relief in the Near East, and others.
Types of materials found on these topics include: books, booklets, correspondence, flyers, forms, leaflets, memorabilia, pamphlets,
press releases, and other printed matter and ephemera. Also included in the collection are contemporaneous newspapers and
clippings, again predominantly from Germany and the United States, relating news of the war.
Content from this collection has been digitized and is available via the
Hoover Institution Library & Archives Digital Collections portal .
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1914-1918 -- Germany
Germany -- History -- Revolution, 1918