All Quiet on the Western Front- Reflections of Post-World War I Europe

All Quiet on the Western Front- Reflections of Post-World War I Europe

War can have devastating effects ranging from mild to severe. One of the significant impacts of war is the loss of lives and destruction of properties. Besides, the number of resources devoted to war could be used to do other better things, such as improving the health care system. Even though the effects of war are felt everywhere, directly or indirectly, the people involved in the war suffer the most. On the battlefield, they face the risk directly and at the same time face death. World War 1 had devastating effects on the soldiers involved. Many lost their lives, while others became traumatized by the experiences they went through. The book All Quiet on the Western Front gives the reader a feeling of what World War 1 was like, mainly to the soldiers, as discussed in the paper.

Through the characters of the book, Remarque allows the reader to understand the situation of World War 1, where youths were made to stop schooling and join the army. They were made to believe that joining the army was a patriotic duty and not as a career as before (BBC Par. 8). It shows that the warring countries were determined to win the war to the point of using young recruits barely eighteen years old to engage in the war (Remarque, 9). Even though the decision to join the army was seen as a patriotic duty, the young men who failed to join the army often faced ostracism and condemnation from society (Remarque 9). The parents who did not understand the effects of the war were ready to label their sons as cowards. Do you need help with your assignment ? Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com.

The book portrays the kind of life the soldiers led on the battlefield. The war was so intense that many soldiers who were injured in the process were left to die. For example, Paul’s counterpart Kemmerick suffered a small gun wound in the thigh, but he suffered amputation and later died due to less care. The rate at which soldiers were dying and being injured in the war did not make it possible for them to receive adequate medical care. Some of the soldiers wounded in the process were left to die in the field.

Remarque described the fighting techniques and strategies that were employed in World War 1. One of the primary techniques used in the World War 1 was trench warfare. The trench warfare in WW1 was employed primarily on the Western Front, which was the warring ground (History.com, Par. 2). The trenches were used as a defense against attack where the soldiers could occupy them for weeks. Similarly, Remarque provides a clear picture of trench warfare, where Paul and his colleagues used to hide when they were on the Western Front. They used them to hide from the enemies as they bombarded them. Besides, they used them to launch attacks on their enemies. In rare cases, they engaged in one-on-one combat with their enemies.

World War 1 can be termed a war of attrition because there was nothing much gained in the long run (Boff, Par 1). The countries that emerged victoriously did not have anything to be proud of. Many lives were lost on both warring sides, and even during the trench warfare, there was little progress and movement made, but still, thousands of soldiers were dying in the process. Remarque portrays the battle of attrition in his book by showing how Paul and his colleagues spent a lot of time in trenches without making much movement or progress. They would wait for the enemies to bombard them for more than one week before they launched a counterattack.

In conclusion, the book All Quiet on the Western Front reflects World War 1 battlefields. It shows how young men had their dreams deferred to join the army, which later affected their civilian lifestyles. The war had gotten much into them that they did not have an idea of what they wanted or would do if it came to an end. Paul and his fellow soldiers reached a point where they were fighting because that was the only way to kill the boredom, anxiety, and fear.

Works Cited

BBC. “The teenage soldiers of World War.” 11 November 2014. BBC News.

Boff, Jonathan. “Fighting the first world war: Stalemate and attrition.” 6 November 2018. British             Library. Document.

History.com. “Life in the Trenches of World War 1.” 26 April 2021. History. Document.

Remarque, Erich Maria. All quiet on the western front. Vol. 68. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004.

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Examine the historical relevance of and how All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque illustrates Europe’s ideas, feelings, and perspectives following the First World War.

How does the work relate to the historical events that provide the context for the job?