The Great War and Paramilitarism in Europe, 1917–23

In this comparative conclusion, the authors consider some of the most influential trends in the historiography of political and paramilitary violence, with particular reference to the relationship between wartime and post-war violence. The heuristic value of the ‘aftershocks’ metaphor is considered, as are the advantages (and potential pitfalls) of the contributors’ transnational approach. Finally, the authors suggest an agenda for future research on paramilitary violence, which looks at the phenomenon in a global perspective. The contributions to this special issue raise two broader, connected questions: first, the causes of the violence (and in particular the paramilitary violence) that was such a distinctive feature of the post-war period in certain regions of Europe following the Great War and, second, the legacies of that same violence. The key in both cases is the analytical framework that best accounts for the violence and enables its significance to be measured.