Experiences of War: All Quiet on the Western Front

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Experiences of War

World War I was a time of despair, rivalry, and hatred between a number of countries due to not one, but many reasons. The experiences people had during World War I were gruesome and not something they would ever want to happen again. Unfortunately the event of a Second World War broke out after the first one ended. Every soldier’s nightmare was to fight this battle for a second time. There were many underlying causes to the war and upon hearing and realizing how bad of a time it was through what people went through, it was a horrific time for everyone who experienced it including Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Britian, France, Russia, Italy, and Japan. A book, All Quiet on the Western Front was written about a young German soldier and his experience and perspective on the war. Paul Baumer enlists in the German Army when the Great War broke out in 1914. His enthusiasm as being part of an Army wanes and turns into him living in constant fear of being apart of fighting in a war. Along with Paul Baumer, there were millions of others who had the experience of fighting in World War I. Poems including, In Flander Fields, Anthem for a Doomed Youth, Dulce et Decorum Est, The Happy Warrior, Before Action, and Back were also written to incorporate the themes of the horror of war. The horrendous war led to experiences that were surreal and terrible enough not to be mentioned by those who were in it. During the aftermath of the Great War, a new perspective was created on modern war and society by analyzing the frightful encounters everyone had, including Paul Baumer in All Quiet on the Western Front which identified his experience of war.

Although one might think there was one cause of World War I, th...

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..., the US had the need to feel sympathy for them especially Paul Baumer. Everyone who fought in World War I had to be apart of the nightmare of war. Paul felt betrayed by people because what he thought war was like with patriotism and heroism was false, therefore shattering his dreamt experience. Since the beginning, Paul seemed to have matured and became more of a man unlike his childlike actions joining right from school. His experiences along with millions of others during this war caused change in society and perspectives on what happened. This war made society less structured due to the constant disputes between countries. In 1918 when World War I came to an end, everyone thought it was all over and those who went back to militarism did so and the others did not. With years passing by, the rivalries did not come to an end, causing World War II to start.

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