General Arthur Boucher (1847-1933) : An erudite and atypical army officer ; Le général Arthur Boucher (1847-1933) : une carrière atypique, une œuvre érudite

Abstract

For the last twenty years, contemporary military history, turning away from a traditional History of Battles, has been about witness accounts of participants in the Great War. There is a place for this approach that, although sometimes controversial, focuses on the lives of private soldiers and on their material and cultural constraints. On the other hand, biographical studies of military heads, in spite of a very recent renewal of interest, are largely neglected. The same applies to the study of senior officers belonging to the "second circle", who are mainly unknown to the public at large. And yet through their family and military history much is to be learned of this contingent and of the officers who rose after the disastrous defeat of 1870 and became the world first army following their 1918 victory.General Arthur Boucher biography is a detailed study of his atypical long military career and of his family life, and draws out the erudite character of his output as a military writer. It also brings to the fore some key events and important Third Republic generals, with whom General Boucher interacted. This study was made possible through researching public archives as well as some private archives made available by one of General Boucher's daughters.This research adds to what recent contemporary military history reveals about the lives of private soldiers during the Third Republic and the Great War with a better knowledge of officers who, thanks to their training and intellectual capacities, gave France victory over Germany during the Great War.This thesis about a senior officer known as the French army Great War "elder" throws a light on the life of senior officers and enriches the studies of 19th Century military elites. ; Depuis une vingtaine d'années, l'histoire militaire contemporaine, tournant le dos à l'histoire bataille traditionnelle, s'est intéressée aux témoignages des combattants de la Grande Guerre. Cette approche très riche, qui a fait l'objet de vives controverses scientifiques, s'est penchée ...