THE GRAVE OF A KNOWN SOLDIER. DE-ANONYMIZATION OF WAR MEMORIALS AND MASS GRAVES AS A MODERNIZATION PROCESS IN CENTRAL AND WESTERN EUROPEAN CULTURE

This article focuses on the perception of anonymity surrounding fallen soldiers in mid-19th-century war memorials in the Habsburg Empire and military funerals in Britain. Researchers working in Central Europe may draw surprisingly different conclusions than Anglo-American works. This article aims to compensate for this lack of research. The study utilizes a comparative approach, analysing historical documents, literature, and visual representations of war memorials and military funerals from the mid-19th century. The article identifies four main factors that contributed to the decline of anonymity in war memorials in the Habsburg Empire: fundamental changes in society, evolving aesthetics reflected in war memorials, differences in the way wars were waged, and changing emotions towards the fallen, the homeland, and family. It also highlights the evolving perception of the fallen soldier in British society, from a mere instrument of war to a human being with emotions and a sense of identity. The findings have implications for our understanding of the evolving role of the fallen soldier in European society.