Why were the Germans referred to as the Huns, especially during WWI?

Its based on a silly anecdote. In 1901, there was a wave of anti-Western violence in China collectively called "The Boxer Rebellion".

In Peking (Beijing), the western embassies were besieged by the Boxers and latter the imperial Chinese army for 99 days.

The main western powers (USA, Japan, UK, Germany, Italy, Russia, and France) put together an international military force to put down the rebellion and relieve Peking.

Kaiser Wilhelm II, in order his men to join the expedition, told his men to "fight like Huns" or "Act like Huns"; not quite sure on the exact wording.

The French, hating the Germans them more than they ever did at any time in their history, started calling the Germans the Bosch (French for Huns) as an insult. When the War started, the Brits and Belgians started doing the same.

In addition to their bloodthirsty reputations, the Huns were considered by many to have brought down Western Civilization in Roman times. This was designed to frame the Germans as another threat to Western Civilization from beyond the Rhine.

Actually, while the Huns weakened the Romans, it was the German tribes that really destroyed Western Civilization so there is an odd logic to it.

Dictionaries state that is is desparaging or insulting to call Germans "Huns", but it is after all a name which the German Emperor, Kaiser Willhelm II, branded his men with in a statement made where "He wanted his men to fight like Huns" on their deployent to China to relieve Peking during the Boxer Rebellion. His soldiers were proud to be called Hun, so I can't understand why it is insulting. Perhaps it is to present day Germans, trying to deny their war mongering past.

because of the fact Kaiser Wilhelm II used that element era presently formerly the beginning up of the 1st worldwide conflict in affirming (to contributors of the German accepted team of the army) that he needed his German troops to combat and act like "huns" whilst invading by using Belgium to realize a victory over France; opining that the Belgium inhabitants may be extra intimidated and compliant if the Germans acted like "Huns" whilst going into (and by using) Belgium. The term "huns" (as used via the Kaiser) became 'picked up' and then 'used' via the British press on the beginning up of First worldwide conflict as a results of the brutal habit and strikes of the German troops in direction of the Belgium inhabitants for the time of the invasion, and, as a result thereof, the term "huns" became regularly used thereafter to describe 'German troops' no longer merely interior the 1st worldwide conflict, yet in addition, the 2d worldwide conflict. of direction, the term initially derives from the 'horrors' commited via Attila the Hun (and the "Huns)" in eastern and Western Europe interior the 5th Century.

They were called "Huns" because the media wanted to portray the Germans as evil/savages/etc the regular propaganda. Being a "Hun" was being one who was barbaric/tribal type.. lol It has a negative connotation.

it is also important to know that german historians and archeologists

embraced this history and made many claims that portrayed the huns

as a much more civilized group. Only since the end of world war 2 has

main stream german science began to fairly re-look at their history.