Ashween Manimaran David Clarke World Core Lit 7 February 2014 Research Paper World War 1 was the first and only war of its kind, in aspect of changing the lives of everyone involved. At the beginning of the war, all sides believed that this would be the best way to show there dominance, and were ultimately disappointed. World War 1 was used to transition into a different type of fighting, one in which killing was more prominent resulting in the decay of the nationalistic pride of many soldiers and civilians. Even when trying to make amends, countries still wanted to show dominance, which was visible at the Paris Peace Conference. This makes us wonder how can we understand the outcome of WWI through the nature of the war itself, and anybody involved in it. By observing the expectation of the war at it’s beginning, how technology and tactics change, how emotions toward the war change, and how peace is created, we can understand this During WW1, the military as well as the soldiers brought their views of the war into their lives which affected both them and the civilians who didnt understand them. Around the beginning of the war everyone thought they will win the war and that it was going to be short with not too many casualties being lost. The civilian population however knew that they were going to be affected even if they didnt participate in the war itself. The civilians which consisted mostly of women and children, were influenced by the government to support the cause and help by everyhting that helped the country besided actually fighting in the war. Both the ally and enemy side had a strong feeling that they were going to win the war. Thus with this feeling they were able to have a large impact on the men of the country b... ... middle of paper ... ...s like to participate in the war. They did not realize was that the Homefront was equivelent to death according to the soldiers. The majority of the soldiers are not able to express to the civilians what it was actually like to be at war. Upon arrival home the soldier may also feel like they are somewhat out of place, alienated, or have an overall feeling of things being strange. However some civilians who do understand can almost feel what it was like to battle on the Homefront. All of the countries who fought in the war thought they were goingto win. However those who actually fought in the war had the oppurtunity to know whether they were going to lose or not. The government knew truth of whether they would or wouldnt stand a chance agianst their enemy. Even if they knew they didnt have a chance they still told their people that they will win.
During WW1, the Americans had influenced the war by propaganda. Propaganda is when you spread rumors to influence society. Propaganda was used to affect Germany, Great Britain, and the United States. In Germany propaganda was used to give the soldiers morals and people with false information that was sent by balloons or planes. In America propaganda was used to persuade other Americans to join the war against Germany. In Great Britain, propaganda was meant to convince men into joining the war and for people to save food for the war effort.
World War I was a very deadly war with over 100 million human casualties(deaths plus injured). Therefore war is a very transformative event for humanity, because it always affects individuals, societies, and even the world in a pessimistic way.
Historians generally refer to WWI as the first 'total war'. It was the first conflict in which modern industrialized societies mobilized their complete economic, technological and psychological resources in order to wage war. Unlike earlier wars, which involved relatively small numbers of soldiers on the battlefield, it affected many aspects of the lives of civilian populations and demanded enormous sacrifices and support from them. Mobilization of the home front was crucial to achieving military victory. Some of the main aspects of Total War include conscription of men into the armed services, increased government control of the economy and daily lives of citizens and subsequent loss of personal liberty. Control of the labor force, physical safety and security of civilian populations threatene...
The society could not support a long war. The First World War left no aspect of European civilization untouched as pre-war governments were transformed to fight total war. The war metamorphed Europe socially, politically, economically, and intellectually. European countries channeled all of their resources into total war, which resulted in enormous social change. The result of working together for a common goal seemed to be unifying European societies.
World War I, also known as “The Great War”, was a global war that revolved mainly around Europe. It took place from 1914 to 1918. This was a very brutal war that caused many casualties. The soldiers who survived experienced severe trauma and mental discomfort. This trauma was a direct result of the violence and agony they experienced during the war. Motivation for this war was the idea of nationalism and the pride in one’s country. This war was the cause of disillusionment among many of the soldiers that were involved in it.
War is what keeps a nation from dying, it is the backbone of a country. This is the shown throughout the course of World War I, also known as “the war to end all wars.” World War I started in the summer of 1914. Archduke Francis Ferdinand, from the Austro – Hungarian Empire was visiting Bosnia. He was shot, along with his wife, Sofia, by a young man from the Black Hand, Gavrillo Princip. What were the three main factors that started World War I? There were three main underlying causes that started World War I: greed, nationalism, and militarism.
“War is unorganized murder, and nothing else” (Harry Patch). In World War 1, which was first called the Great War, there were many causes of the war breaking out. The Great War started August 1st 1914 days later after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophia, when they visited Bosnia. Many soldiers went to war for no reason but to fight for their country. The Great War was not only affected by the soldiers, but also by the civilians as well. Women replaced men in factories, offices, and shops while the men were at war so that everything would be working smoothly. The main underlying causes of World War 1 were the alliances and imperialism in Europe.
World War One was greatly influenced by many factors, and in many ways. National interest ignited the mistrust and insecurities within nations, which in turn led to the creation of strong alliances and immense military forces. The growing suspicion Britain had of Germany only heightened the wariness and uncertainty of nations. The means, by which individual nations dealt with the issues within themselves, and outside of their boundaries, in the years preceding World War One, were irrational and improperly thought through. Nations fell into a strong ultra nationalistic point of view, and acted in a way which expressed interest in themselves only.
Nationalism influenced people’s thoughts about war, twisting their minds to believe that their government and military was supreme and would win a war quickly. Because “most European countries, with the exception of France and Prussia, had not had any major wars within the 19th century, they stepped into the 20th century thinking that they were immune to defeat. This idea of immunity developed as countries forgot of their past wars and sufferings. The British were confident in their naval forces, the Germans in their arms and ships, and the Russians thought their land was protected by God. Citizens strongly believed that their country was the best and would do just about anything to help their country. It became a school boy’s duty to enlist in the army upon his graduation. As Erich Maria Remarque states in his book, All Quiet on the Western Front, the “young men of twenty... whom Kantorek calls the ‘Iron Youth,’” are the ones sent off to war in Germany. Their teachers drilled this message into their minds from a young age. The boys were told that it was their duty to their country to fight. Zara Steiner, British Historian, related that British teachers were told “to teach boys that success in w...
In the summer of 1914, Europe went to war, many expected the war to be short but it lasted four long and terrible years. World War 1 began in August 1914 and ended by the end of 1918. In result of the World War 1, ten million soldiers died and 20 million had been wounded. World War 1 was mainly caused by militarism, imperialism, alliances, and nationalism, but it was triggered by the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. The assassination took place on June 28, 1914, by Gavrilo. Nevertheless, What Was the Underlying Cause of World War 1? Militarism, Imperialism, and Nationalism are the most important causes of World War 1.
(McInnis, 1945) Though the public did not know this, the allies, in fact, did. Through spies, they had learned that both Japan's foreign minister, Shigenori Togo and Emperor Hirohito both supported an end to the war (Grant, 1998). Even if they believed such reports to be false or inaccurate, the leaders of the United States also knew Japan's situation to be hopeless. Their casualties in defending the doomed island of Okinawa were a staggering 110,000 and the naval blockade which the allies had enforced whittled trade down to almost nothing.
World War One or ‘The First World War’ as it became known, occurred due to many causes including the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and ideologies such as nationalism and militarism. The most obvious trigger for the war was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie on June 28, 1914. The assassination took place during the Archduke’s visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Archduke was targeted due to an ill feeling amongst Serbians that, once appointed to the throne, Ferdinand would continue the persecution of Serbs living within the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Just moments after the couple had been shot; authorities arrested the triggerman, Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian student, who was believed to have been linked to the Serbian terrorist organization, The Black Hand.
The First World War was expected to be short, with a quick triumph on either side. On the contrary, the war caused a giant massacre to all the countries involved, and lasted for four years. Also against the expectations of political leaders and military commanders new techniques of fighting were used, as well as new weapons (for example the chloric gas, tanks and aircrafts). Due to all this, 13 million people were killed, of which 2 million were Germans, 1.75 million Russians, 1.5 million Frenchmen, 1 million British and 0.5 million Italians. But death was just one of the worst consequences of the First World War. Just military failures on the fronts, along with other problems directly affected internal politics in a great way. This horrible catastrophe also left most of the countries in huge debts, especially Germany, Austria, Hungary, Russia, and many others. This led to poverty and chaos, and the people were suffering. That is why they started to revolt, but the political system was so exhausted after the war that it didn't do anything to solve this.
The realism theory describes World War One the best because it is “based on the view that describes the individual as primarily fearful, selfish and power seeking” (Mingst, 2011). WWI was initially a war between two countries, Austria-Hungary and Serbia; but due to assassinations, the strength of alliances, binds by treaties, and increasing security dilemma, more and more countries entered the war until it manifested into a complete World War. Countries increased their weaponry and made other nations apprehensive. Even countries that felt compelled to stay neutral became fearful of the ever increasing power of countries in the war. Countries began to struggle for a balance of power, and the war outbreak was a product of the multi-polarity of power. “World War One by realist perspective, can be described by changes in the European balance of power, with distinctions drawn among the rigid alliances argument, which claims that the war was caused by an inflexible continental bipolarity; the future imbalances argument, which maintains that Germany's fear of Russia's growing power triggered the war; and hegemonic decline, which explains World War I by citing Britain's waning status as a superpower” (Nau, 2011).
To conclude the Great War encompassed all factors of a total war; economic, social and political. The whole population was mobilized towards the war effort and everyone’s attention concentrated on winning the war. Being one of the first total wars in history, it showed that wars are not always conflicts of armies against armies, but rather conflicts of societies fighting societies. Britain had to create harsh laws, mobilize the entire population and use all accessible resources to defeat the triple alliance. Therefore, there is no doubt that World War I fulfilled all characteristics of a total war