The Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World War I [Hardcover]

Larry Zuckerman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0814797040 | ISBN-13: 978-0814797044 | Publication Date: February 1, 2004 | Edition: First Edition

In August 1914, the German Army invaded the neutral nation of Belgium, violating a treaty that the German chancellor dismissed as a "scrap of paper." The invaders terrorized the Belgians, shooting thousands of civilians and looting and burning scores of towns, including Louvain, which housed the country's preeminent university.

The Rape of Belgium recalls the bloodshed and destruction of the 1914 invasion, and the outrage it inspired abroad. Yet Larry Zuckerman does not stop there, and takes us on a harrowing journey over the next fifty months, vividly documenting Germany's occupation of Belgium. The occupiers plundered the country, looting its rich supply of natural resources; deporting Belgians en masse to Germany and northern France as forced laborers; and jailing thousands on contrived charges, including the failure to inform on family or neighbors. Despite the duration of the siege and the destruction left in its wake, in considering Belgium, neither the Allies nor the history books focused on the occupation, and instead cast their attention almost wholly on the invasion.

Now, The Rape of Belgium draws on a little-known story to remind us of the horrors of war. Further, Zuckerman shows why the Allies refrained from punishing the Germans for the occupation and controversially suggests that had the victors followed through, Europe's reaction to the rise of Nazi Germany might have taken a very different course.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"More than a footnote to history, The Rape of Belgium makes us look afresh at the story of German behavior in occupied Belgium during World War I. We can no longer dismiss the stories-the killing of innocent civilians, the burning of priceless libraries, the plundering of Belgian resources, and the forced deportations of thousands of Belgians to work in Germany-as simply Allied propaganda. Larry Zuckerman argues with passion and meticulous research that both the Allies and the Germans themselves failed to confront the crucial legal and moral questions raised by the occupation."

-Margaret MacMillan,author of Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World

"A lively and lucid synthesis. Larry Zuckerman's intelligent, well-documented, and eminently readable account of Belgium s maltreatment during World War I highlights war crimes too often dismissed as figments of propaganda. This book deserves to be read very widely indeed."

-Sophie De Schaepdrijver,Pennsylvania State University

"Belgium's occupation by the Imperial German army between 1914 and 1918, Larry Zuckerman's important new book shows, provided a blueprint for the Nazi occupation of Europe 25 years later. With compelling evidence and compassion, he has drawn our attention back to a moment when total war began, and when everybody came to see that when military hostilities begin, no one-man, woman or child-is safe. Modern war and atrocity are now interchangeable terms; as this book demonstrates, they became inextricably tied together in Belgium a century ago, and the world has never been the same again."

-Jay Winter,Yale University

"Zuckerman has given a clear and informative account of the ways in which the occupation of Belgium had a significance transcending the borders of one small European country. That is a major achievement."

-H-Net Book Review,

"Zuckerman has mined Belgium's archives to depict a German occupation that presaged the Nazi era. He illustrates how the falsity of the most lurid atrocity accounts rendered public opinion dubious or indifferent to the real "rape of Belgium," and thus allowed Germany to escape accountability for its crimes."

-CHOICE,

About the Author

Larry Zuckerman is the author of The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World, which has been translated into four languages. The British edition was the recipient of the André Simon Special Commendation Award, given annually to a book on culinary arts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press; First Edition edition (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814797040
• ISBN-13: 978-0814797044
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 8.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,071,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real eye opener!, September 20, 2004

By 

Regine M. Brindle (Peru, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World War I (Hardcover)

Growing up in Post WW2 Belgium, I never understood why those who lived through the war could not stop recalling their experience.
Couldn't they just leave the past behind?
And then I grew up and I began asking questions?

My father's parents lived on the Dutch border, by Vise and so were some of the first to witness the invasion. My grandfather was deported to Bavaria for 5 years. His wife was left to fend for herself and their 6 year old son.

My mother's parents lived a few days' walk from the border, in Jauche. They, along with many others, fled Belgium with only the clothes they had on their backs. Watching the horizon for advancing German troops from the second floor of their homes, those who had survived WW1 had encouraged their adult children to just run. Why? Was that not cowardice?

I found the answer. It was not cowardice. It was survival instincts.

In its horrifying retelling, the book presents a sort of play rehearsal for the Holocaust.
The invaders' total disregard of the law and treaties but most of all their ability to get away with it all, set the tone for the next war. A German population, lulled by false propaganda, believed they had been victimized by the Allies. When the 'right' leader came along how could they resist seeking what they felt was righteous vindication.
How wrong they were though!

How Belgium and the Belgians ever managed to get back on their feet amazes me...

WW2 might not have happened had the issue of War Crimes been taken seriously. Millions of lives might have been spared. But hindsight is 20/20.

A must-read for anyone truly interested in learning from the Past.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Facts behind the propaganda, March 5, 2005

By 

John C. Landon "nemonemini" (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World War I (Hardcover)

The propaganda wars in the First World War produced a strong reaction against the distortions on both sides. But, as the author shows, the result in the case of Belgium was to forget the reality of the German invasion and occupation, which in many ways was the first episode of the twentieth century savagery of warfare against civilian populations. The term 'totalitarian' had not yet entered the language, but the war system created to plunder and repress the Belgians was in many ways the first instance of the type. Sixth place in the ranks of industrialized nations, Belgium was plundered of its industrial capital and infrastructure. This history was a premonition of the tactics of the Nazis to come. Sets the record straight in an area where it is difficult, short of the archival research provided, to maintain objective judgments.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Larry Zukerman Has Given Me Much to Think About, February 11, 2008

By 

David Thomson "Second Rate Eric Hoffer Imitator" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World War I (Hardcover)

I have long held the view that the United States should have stayed out of World War I. Larry Zukerman is making me think twice about our involvement. Germany was guilty of war crimes against he people of Belgium. Its behavior during the invasion simply cannot be explained away. The German military did indeed seem to deliberately terrorize the population. Unfortunately, the shabbily put together Bryce Report encouraged outsiders to dismiss all reports of atrocities as mere exaggerations and outright lies. I consider this current review as incomplete. Am I perhaps too reluctant to admit being wrong in the past? Whatever, I strongly recommend The Rape of Belgium to all those interested in the history of this savage war. I will also be adding future insights in the comment section.