ABSTRACT
The advancement of psychoanalysis virtually came to a halt during the First World War. Many analysts were drafted, or unavailable because they resided in what now counted as enemy territory. Severe material dearth impeded intellectual exchange and academically productive work. Toward the end of the war, however, psychoanalysis seemed to have established itself in society to a surprising degree: after all, its methods had proven more effective in the treatment of war neuroses than those of classical psychiatry. As a consequence, military administrations in Germany, Hungary, and Austria “seriously considered opening their own psychoanalytic wards within their armies, a project that was interrupted only by the eventual end of the war … In any case, the experiences during wartime promoted the dissemination of an interest in psychoanalysis throughout the world.” 1 While psychoanalysts were spared engagement under the patronage of the military, the newly acquired worldwide interest changed the future 72of psychoanalysis. The former small circle of quirky scientists grew into an international movement.
