Why is the sit com blackadder goes forth so useful for historians studying ww1?
If anyone who knows nothing about WW1 wanted to get a feel for the conflict overall from a British point of view, they could do a lot worse than to watch the series ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’ The higher ranking commanders (upper class) are portrayed as mad or incompetent, the working class soldier as blindly obedient and trustful, and the middle ranking middle class officers as stupid, obsequious, or sensible (but ignored).. Essentially, the series portrays the war as a senseless waste run by leaders who are either oblivious to or uncaring about this fact – a not altogether inaccurate, if simplistic, analysis.
