Katonadalok és az első világháború
Soldiers’ Songs and the First World War

Summary/Abstract: One of the major experiences of those who survived the First World War was the experience:“The soldiers are singing!”. This is especially (but not exclusively) true for the first days of the war and the enlistment period. Soldiers’ songs were an integral part of the cultural traditions of 19th-century men. The war changes the conditions of life not only for the members of the army but also for the whole society by recruiting a major part of the male population. Former soldiers’ songs may pick up additional meanings and new songs may be composed. Our study of soldiers’ songs from the First World War (that is those that were sang or collected at the time) shows that beside hatred, the defense of the country and putting the blame on the enemy, the main topics are conceit, manliness and courage. We have to remember that the army was traditionally seen as the symbol of transition from boy to man, the former members of the armed forces were to become full – male – members of the local communities. Despite the fact that the majority of the songs sung in the First World War was connected to past events, primarily to the War of Independence of 1848–49, it seems that, unlike in Germany, self-sacrifice in the war became a less organic part of the national ideology in Hungary. The main topics are parting, being far away and the relations to the mother and the lover. I believe that the momentum in the War that created a sense of national identity was mourning and loss and not the myth of heroism.

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