Topic > Unraveling the Complexity of World War I: A Historical Analysis

World War I was one of the most revolutionary and innovative changes the world saw in the twentieth century. Due to the causes of World War I and the intense preparations, a whole new world emerged, filled with complete and utter heartbreak. While it is no surprise that young men were certainly the prominent group who had experienced firsthand the worst of the worst in the trenches, around the world, people of all ages and genders also faced other major changes in all aspects of their life. Among these were women and children at home who had yet to face the horrible truths and suffer the devastating consequences of the war both socially and economically. While men fought for their country on the battlefields, women and children were left behind to fulfill their roles in society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The war on the Western Front was a type of modern warfare, something no one had ever experienced before. The main changes to which soldiers had to adapt were the techniques used during the First World War, linked in particular to trench warfare. With new technology, came new consequences. Soldiers were prone to dangerous attacks, which led to inhumane ways of dying. Continuous bombing and gas attacks meant that many men felt impending doom while others faced mental breakdowns and illness. The worst, however, was yet to come for the survivors. Life in the trenches was far worse than any human being would have to endure. With mud rising up to their knees and feet submerged in pools of blood-stained water, thousands of people suffered from "trench foot", caused by being in water for long periods of time. In the summer, the smell was appalling due to a combination of sewage from rotting corpses and unwashed soldiers. In winter, the trenches offered little or no protection from the cold, causing frostbite. The trenches were also infested with rats. Hygiene was practically non-existent. Besides the fact that the food rations were extremely basic and designed only to keep the soldiers alive, they were far from ideal living conditions. Above all, the thing that caused men the most pain and grief was the constant fear of death and the struggle to maintain their humanity. In an unseen transcript, a German soldier recalls the moment he bayoneted an enemy to death by quoting: "I remembered then that we had been told that the good soldier kills without thinking of his opponent as a human being... not he was nothing like me but a poor boy who had to fight, who had to intervene with the cruelest weapons against a man who had nothing against him personally, who wore only the uniform of another nation, who spoke a 'another language, but a man who had a father and mother and a family perhaps and that's how I felt... I sometimes woke up at night drenched in sweat because I saw the eyes of my fallen adversary, of the enemy, and I tried to convince myself what it would have happened to me if I had "I wasn't faster than him... After all we were civilized people." This quote is too long but I don't know what to cut. (Westmann, Stefan 2014) Needless to say, there is no doubt that the soldiers have suffered, carrying out their duties towards their country in unimaginable conditions, forced to commit unspeakable acts. The initial influx of volunteers and later conscription of men led to a shortage of manpower on the home front. As well as struggling to face fears for.