It is astonishing and heartbreaking to believe the pain and misery of millions happened purely because of the pride of a few. World War I is regarded as one of the most tragic events in history, killing more people than all previous wars in history combined. Simply, World War I was a gruesome, global war that was concentrated in Europe. One of the main causes of the War was national pride, which, ironically, resulted in the depression and hopelessness of soldiers and civilians across the world. Nationalistic and imperialistic leaders were willing to drag their country into war, in order to prove their country was the most powerful, deserved to have the most land, and had the most national pride. Unfortunately, this morale of the civilian population …show more content…
On the battlefield, soldiers had to endure deadly diseases, horrible weather, and live with the constant fear of death. On the other hand, on the home front, civilians were forced to maintain the labor force, ration food, and undergo attacks from the enemy. Although soldiers and civilians struggled throughout World War I in different ways, both lives were extremely miserable as they had to adapt to tremendous changes on the battlefield and on the home front, which rapidly diminished their hope and happiness greatly.
On the battlefield, a soldier’s mettle was constantly tempted by the horrible conditions of trench warfare that brought them so much misery and heartache. In trenches, not only were soldiers forced to share dirty, noxious, small areas with many men, but also a surfeit of lice. On the
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Firstly, with millions of men gone from fighting the war, women had to fill their position in the work force. They were recruited for labor in factories and on farms. Many women worked in railroads as well, which made the world appear to be “topsy-turvy” (later). Women were laboring like never seen before in order to provide income for their families. Unfortunately, this risk was not respected nor accepted by men. Although women worked longer hours, they did not receive half the amount their male co-workers earned. With these long hours, women could barely afford basis resources, and they couldn’t spend much time with their children. Also, there were many food shortages partly due to blockades by enemy forces. With nationalistic propaganda, people were encouraged to ration their food; however, as the war continued, food supplies dwindled, and civilians began to die from malnutrition. Lastly, and most horridly, with new innovative and deadly weapons, airplanes attacked cities to demoralize the civilian population. Houses were left “half-ruined” (Harrison 18), and civilians encountered the same revolting deaths as soldiers. Even with nationalistic propaganda, civilians’ pride and joy diminished once they were forced to labor, ration food, and undergo the brutality of air raids. What began as popular and happy
Women during World War II became warriors. They overtook and played the men’s role in their household. Before their men went overseas, the norm was for them to get married at a young age. These women started volunteering in war-related organizations in order to support war efforts. When the men left to fight, their women became proficient at things they wouldn’t have dared to do before. The war made a lot of women stronger and opened lots of doors and opportunities. They would manage their finances, be excellent housekeepers, fix cars and do handyman work.
The men and women who served in the First World War endured some of the most brutal forms of warfare ever known. Millions were sent to fight away from home for months, even years at a time, and underwent a series of terrible physical and emotional experiences. The new technologies available to First World War armies combined with the huge number of men mobilized made the battlefields of 1914-18 horrific, deadly and terrifying places.
Although unfortunate for women, employers were able to pay lower wages and dismiss them if a man applied for the position. They also received minimal support from unions caused by concern that women would replace men in the workforce because they could be paid less. Despite being unfairly treated in the workforce, women had experienced an extent of freedom in society that would forever change how they were viewed. While men fought, women were also left with the emotional burden of waiting for their loved ones to return home, although many did not. This meant some women were left to raise and feed children as a single parent, whilst still supporting themselves. Those women’s husbands who did return, did not have it easier in any way. Predominance of men had injuries meaning women had to take care of them, whilst other men suffered depression, nightmares and trouble relating to previous civilian lives. Occasionally, this resulted in breakdown of marriage and family. In this regard, the war did not create a bright future for
The structure of workforce changed, all out war effort and lack of working age male in factories brought women into factories across Europe in incomparable way. Thousands of women worked with the army as nurses and ambulance drivers, with nominal supplies and harsh condition of the front line, they helped wounded soldiers and provided some solace to the dying. Propaganda Picture by E.V. Kealy, P-524, on its poster says “Women of Britain say-GO” I think which means that all the men can go to the war and fight for the nation, while women are taking care of the house. War had changed role women were assigned to but they were refusing to go back to their old Victorian traditional role and challenged the gender status quo of the women after the war which completely changed the patriarchal European states, and American society as
Struggles of the Soldier War takes a toll on the mind, body, and soul. Throughout history, the soldier has struggled to push through the barriers war provides. There are records of the soldier’s insanity and suffering dating back to World War I, shown in All Quiet on the Western Front. His comrades are the only ones that understand what he is dealing with, and the soldier feels isolated when surrounded by civilians. It is difficult to survive mentally because of the horrific things the soldier deals with, which often cause the soldier to develop mental disorders.
“Many women were forced out of high paying jobs in traditionally male industries. ”The government needed the women at the time and were very thankful for their support through the war but once they had come home they went back to the lifestyle that they had lived before the war; second in society when compared to men. “Many of the jobs women were offered during the war were taken away from them at its conclusion and were not in sectors women had previously shown a desire to enter.” The jobs that the women had acquired after the war was over was very different from the jobs that they had during the war. They had fallen in love with the idea of them working and being closer to men in equality and they thought that nothing would change once the men came home.
The psychologist Sigmund Freud once said, “Because every man has a right over his own life and war destroys lives that were full of promise; it forces the individual into situations that shame his manhood, obliging him to murder fellow men, against his will.” He initially stated this when he was corresponding with Albert Einstein via letter. This quote is also a great explanation of the events that take place during war that people chose to not recognise. War is terrible, and no matter how hard we try, nothing will change that. Erich Maria Remarque shows us that soldiers have endured dreadfully throughout World War I in his book “All Quiet on the Western Front”. The character in the book, Paul Baumer, endures through the tragedies of war with some of his old schoolmates as well as new comrades that he meets along the way. They survive through all of the tragedies together, but in the end, the war made them lose their friendships as well as their lives. The reality is that war comes with consequences while it destroys people, and there is nothing that will ever be able to change that. The book “All Quiet on the Western Front” shows how war comes destroys people's lives with its consequences through three of its themes: the importance of comradery, the loss of innocence, and the horrors and brutality of war.
I am sitting here in my trench with my fellow brothers. We are soaked from head to toe with mud all over us. I haven’t had a change in socks in weeks and I have seen men around me get trench foot. Trench foot is something I have seen and I never want to experience if we don’t have to. The lice have been spreading from man to man very quickly. At first the lice really bothered us but now it is just a part of our lives in these trenches. We have to be careful with our rations because the rats that have grown to the size of Oscar, so we have to keep our rations in a safe place
These endless zigzag trails were the soldiers’ home for as long as they were assigned duty to them. The trenches were often infested with “rats and lice… ‘There are millions! Some are huge fellows, nearly as big as cats…’ The soldiers often went weeks without washing or changing clothes, and most were infested with body lice” (Newman 141). Conditions were so wet and dirty and the men had to live with it. As a result of the wet and dirty conditions, many soldiers got ‘trench foot’. “Their feet swelled up to two or three times their normal size and went numb…but when the swelling went down, the pain was agonizing.
World War One was a time of death, destruction and was in general a conflict of monumental proportions. However, as the cliché goes, there is a silver lining to every storm cloud. In the case of the Great War, the silver lining refers to the great leaps forward made in women's empowerment and involvement in society because of the advent of the war, which forced them into positions previously never considered by either gender. World War One provided women with the perfect opportunity to demonstrate to a male-dominated society that females were there for more than simply domestic chores, and this proved to be beneficial for both women and men alike. Women became involved in the army on the frontlines, were nurses and medical aids, played
While the war was going on many families only had one parent at this time which was the women. The women had to maintain the farm’s, houses, and their family business. This is a lot of work for women also because women back in the times that the war was going on didn’t get to do very much they were kind of isolated from the men. The new tasks at home for the women were getting rough without another parent in the home. The women were not used to all the work and were getting stressed out.
As men went off to war, women had to find ways to provide for their families until the return of their men. Women took over farm tasks, filled jobs at schools and offices, worked in factories, and even became nurses to make wages. Women even became spies and scouts to aid in the war effort. This new found independence would eventually push women to question their submissive roles and begin fighting for their equal rights. Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, put it perfectly: “At the war’s end, woman was at least fifty years in advance of the normal position which continued peace would have assigned her.”
worked in factories expanding industrial output, and helped raise money in the community. The women are what helped keep the country running. When women filled jobs that were traditionally men’s, this aided the country as a whole because while men fought in the war, women were able to keep the country moving. Women not only worked in factories and offices, but working in the community played an immense role in helping the soldiers fighting. Women raised money for the war, collected blood, rolled bandages, aided in civil defense, tended Victory Gardens, and hosted troops. Some women still worked at home centering their work around what the soldiers needed. They recycled aluminum foil and other materials that were scarce, they raised children as usual, and mourned for the soldier that had died. Women were assisting the troops with all that they could in order to make life easier for them.
When the war started, women had to take over the jobs of men and they learned to be independent. These women exemplified the beginning of change. Coupled with enfranchisement and the increased popularity of birth control, women experienced a new
After getting an education as well as knowing there worth in society women knew there were more than just a wife and mother. During WWII women demonstrated their power to think in a world without men as they were off fighting the war. Women began to understand that they had more to offer the world other than housekeeping and raising children. In addition, many women wanted to continue working after the war as they had held jobs with responsibilities as well as earning wages. Furthermore, women were the ones making financial decisions as well as working in positions with higher responsibilities. Many women as well as minorities were simply casted a side to make room for the returning solders. This created a silent discontent among women