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A Conflict Of Cultures: Alsace-Lorraine, 1871-1918, Karen Lynn Eiler

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

A traveler viewing Alsace today for the first time would never suspect the difficult and stormy past which has plagued this beautiful little country. The fertile plains, the vineyards, and the Vosges mountains on the French side of the Rhine are mirrored on the German side of the valley, extending to the mountains of the Black Forest. The cultures of these two great civilizations, too, mingle here, enrich and reflect each other. Language is a perfect example of this junction of cultures. Most inhabitants are at least bilingual, speaking both the local dialect, which is of Germanic origin, and either …