On August 3, 1914, Germany declared war on France. One of the minor tragedies among great ones ensuing from this was the effective end of the golden age of Schuetzen. Resources in Germany were devoted to the war effort and afterward, embargoes and reparations sapped the German economy. Following this came the Great Depression. Schuetzen rifles from this time often show a reduced ornamentation and innovation. The brief uplift in the economy brought by the National Socialists in the 1930's was counter balanced, in the Schuetzen community, by the forced change to military style competition. In the other great Schuetzen venue, America, it also met its effective end. I read that in 1900, the three big money sports in America were boxing, horse racing, and Schuetzen. Although after 1914 target shooting remained popular, the anti-German sentiment ended Schuetzen competition. In this time, such was the anger and guilt of Americans, businesses and streets were renamed, family names were anglisized, and folks like Ned Roberts wouldn't even call a Schuetzen rifle by its name.
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