The paper analyzes the influence of modernization on social processes of different European states. On the example of desertion of the Central Power’s soldiers to Russia one comes to conclusion that changes in the manning system of European armies during the 19th century were one of the most important components of traditional society’s transformation and a vital source of new social practices.
The First World War was the time of major social shifts in the life of Russian society, the formation of new social practices that allowed the urban population to adapt to the extreme conditions of the Great War. Queue (the «tail») was one of them, gradually transforming from one of the many social practices into the «focal point» of culture.
Based on the pieces of art created in the UK to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War, the article analyzes the visual images used in the national commemorative practices. Interconnection between the specifics of "English style" in the representation of the cultural memory of the Great War and deep trauma of British society as a result of the war is considered.