Poppyganda: The Historical and Social Impact of a Flower

The poppy has been the enduring symbol of World War I since the years of the war itself, and it now embodies a century of ever-changing attitudes towards the world’s first global war. But the Great War didn’t represent the poppy’s first association with combat—long before 1914, it was seen as an emblem of war, both its heroism and its futility.Poppyganda uncovers the history of the poppy and its relationship to warfare, showing how it has been used by various factions over the centuries to both justify and condemn war, and how it continues to be a potent symbol today, one that plays a part, both rueful and celebratory, in nearly every commemoration of World War I.