Niess, Alexandre <br/><br/>
The Monuments for the Dead and Politics: The Marne Example 

 -  2003.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 10 
<br/><br/> The war memorial, built in France after the First World War, was found to be of an intrinsically great political value. The location of the memorial was capital at first. Next was the choice to set up either joint commissions (with veterans, families, members of the municipal council, etc.) or simple commissions made up of members of the town councils. Subsequently, they had to think of the various means of financing as well as forecasting its cost. After that, the committees had to sign deals with artists and craftsmen defining all symbolic elements to be sculpted on the monument. Finally, came the time to unveil the monument. This event generated a lot of choices too. When one takes a closer look at all these elements, only then does one realize its political essence, which is a lot more important than it may seem at first glance. The historian's memory can become a glaring political issue if he/she seeks to understand the events leading up to the inauguration of war memorial.