Burning Beethoven: The Eradication of German Culture in the United States during World War I (German Edition)

Burning Beethoven explores how a flourishing culture in America was wiped out by an eruption of anti-German hysteria during World War I, when excessively patriotic Americans eradicated the German language from schools, churches, libraries, and newspapers. Germans made up the biggest, proudest, and most successful ethnic group but became targets of hate, and sometimes victims of tarring and feathering—even vigilante hangings. Zealous Americans slaughtered dachshunds and renamed sauerkraut “liberty cabbage”—the “freedom fries” of that era. This book sheds light on a dark chapter of American history.