To mark the centenary of the Armistice, the Chair in Defence Economics organised 10 October 2018, the’Military School a study day on the subject: «Les morts de la Grande Guerre: Hasard ou déterminisme?.
The day was organised by Jean Belin, holder of the Chair, and Antoine Parent, University professor at Sciences-Po Lyon and coordinator of the CAC-IXXI team.
The day brought together researchers from different disciplines whose work focused onr analysis of the Great War dead to offer a fresh perspective on as yet unexplored issues. Much of the empirical work is based on the database provided by the SHD (Service Historique de la Défense) and entitled «Memory of Men».
The event brought together around 200 participants, including a high school students in attendance lycées Fénelon (Paris 6ème) and Hoche (Versailles).
After a introduction from Jean Belin, Antoine Parent put the work presented into perspective, and recalled the importance of the event in relation to the Armistice centenary commemorations. Thus, the « commemorating soldiers who died for France »This is a major event, going far beyond the memorial aspect of the day's work.
Jean Belin, Chair of Defence Economics, 10 October 2018, Introduction
Antoine Parent, Professor at Science Po Lyon, 10 October 2018, Introduction
First round table
At the first round table, structured around the question of soldiers' inequalities in the face of death, Jean-Pascal Guironnet (University of Normandy, Caen) showed that there were no regions that had been sacrificed more than others from a statistical point of view. This presentation was the synthesis of a published article by the author (with Antoine Parent) in a special issue of the journal Defence and Peace Economics and coordinated by Julien Malizard, researcher at the Chair in Defence Economics.
Then Olivier Guillot (BETA, Univ. de Lorraine) analysed soldier survival rates and those shot in the Great War. The mathematician Nicole El Karaoui (Paris Sorbonne) then shared his statistical and personal experience of these issues.
Olivier Guillot, BETA, Univ. de Lorraine, 10 October 2018, First round table
Second round table
The second round table discussed the strategic choices operated by the high command. The operational research (OR) approach of Jesus Gonzalez-Feliu (École des Mines de Saint-Étienne) has shown that certain military logistics plans followed a form of optimisation, taking into account the RO techniques of the time.
Then Gilles Gaba (Isfa, Univ. Lyon 1) and Stéphane Loisel (Isfa, Univ. Lyon 1) have used geomatics to study the movements of regiments at the front. Cécile Bastidon (LEAD, Univ Toulon) and Hervé Pierre (Earth Advisor to the Prime Minister) brought their economic insight and military experience to the discussion of this work.
Second round table discussion, 10 October 2018
Third round table
