World War 1 Effects On European Society Essay

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Impact of World War I in European Society
Approximately 59,777,500 troops were mobilized, 21,238,000 wounded, and
8,280,250 killed in World War 1. “The losses of World War I were the highest ever for a war in Europe” (MckAy, 2014, p. 855). Many economic, political, and social changes result 1 from the notable death count of World War I and the hard unexpected realities of the war. People before the war assumed that it would be a quick war and that everyone would be better off after settling old rivalries and bringing safety to ones country. Soldiers saw the war as a chance to get away from home, and to show their nationalism. In reality, the war stretched on and was more gruesome and violent than anyone expected. Soldiers that survived the war were forever changed men, and Europe, as a whole, is drastically altered by the war. Europe’s economy struggled after …show more content…

The normal image of women also changed. Women begin to dress more loosely and become more independent. Women’s role in society was altered by the war. Ethnic minorities were also affected by the war. African Americans served in the army for America and France yet they were still looked down upon. Germany created propaganda against African American soldiers. “German propagandists labeled these troops the “black shame,” warning that the African soldiers were savages, eager to brutalize civilians and assault German women (McKay, 2014, p. 882). Besides African Americans, Jews were also racially degraded. Germany claimed that the Jews were the reason that they lost the war. Along with the tensions over class, gender, and race came a lack of nationalism throughout after experiencing the viscous effects of the war. Millions of men were slaughtered in the trenches, because their countries told them to be patriotic. Of those that did survive many came back lacking an identity, unable to function normally in society and to adapt to life outside of

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