Blog 20-The Great War

World War I- The Great War, as it was known at the time, since they didn't know about World War II, and probably hoped that it would never happen again, forever changed the modern world. Not only in terms of warfare used, such as tear gas and trench warfare, but also in the all-encompassing scope of the people affected. Because Britain was so involved in the war, members of all classes were brought in to fight. Specifically, upper classes that had never before seen battle. But what really impacted life on the Western Front was a uniting culture of literature, a shared interest in the great writers of the time, that made communicating and expressing themselves easier. It is hard to imagine this as the United States doesn't really have the same shared literary interest as Britain had at any point, but the point is that this shared culture made communicating their experiences easier, and inspired a great many writers and poets to record their thoughts about the war as they sat in the trenches, preserving their perspectives for generations to come.

The Great War brought an irony and cynicism to modern life that had been missing before. The enemy had been effigied and exaggerated to the point where they became caricatures of themselves. This was to demonize the opponent and make the soldiers feel ok, morally speaking, about killing men who had hopes and dreams and families. There became a greater widespread belief in fate and destiny, as it was hard to think that life was under control on the front lines, when it could so easily be taken away by a stray bullet or piece of shrapnel.