11 - Prisoners of war

Summary

The legacy of Great War captivity developments remains widely debated among historians. Some argue that the 1914 to 1918 period showed continuities with the treatment of prisoners of war during the wars of the late nineteenth century. Prisoners of war were the subject of a mammoth charitable aid effort during the war which encompassed both domestic and international organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Geneva, the Vatican and the Young Men's Christian Association. ICRC published frequent reports on conditions in the camps and by the end of the war it had established itself as the foremost international charitable organisation assisting prisoners. While the Great War set key precedents, these had a limited impact in 1914 to 1918. It was only with the later rise of totalitarian regimes that the true horrific potential of some of the Great War innovations in captivity would become clear.