Dr Richard (Washington State University, USA) Fulton 
Warrior Generation 1865-1885 [PDF ebook] 
Militarism and British Working Class Boys

Richard Fulton »s
Warrior Generation 1865-1885 fundamentally rethinks the efficacy of an institutional drive among influential middle-class opinion leaders to militarize lower-class boys in Victorian Britain. He contends that instead of engendering the desired cultural militarism, as has been commonly argued, their push had merely contributed to a fast-developing culture of adventure and masculinity.
Challenging this popular assumption, Fulton carefully reexamines many of the oft cited touchstones of militaristic influence on lower-class boys, deeply assessing their actual effects on the behaviours and cultural practices of this generation. He explores a range of themes from, among others, the propagation of the military »s message in school curricula (and its glorification in students » textbooks), to the military »s heroic depiction and ubiquitous presence in lower-class boys » entertainment and popular media.