Summary:
On June 28, 1914, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip, a Slavic nationalist. This ignites a war assumed to be short, between Seberia and Austria-Hungary. Due to alliance systems, nation after nation is pulled into the war, eventually becoming the size great enough to be called a world war. America tries to stay out of the war for as long as possible, but they get fed up with Germany. What was expected to be a quick, fun, and easy war turns out to be the most awful experience anyone could ask for.
On June 28, 1914, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip, a Slavic nationalist. This ignites a war assumed to be short, between Seberia and Austria-Hungary. Due to alliance systems, nation after nation is pulled into the war, eventually becoming the size great enough to be called a world war. America tries to stay out of the war for as long as possible, but they get fed up with Germany. What was expected to be a quick, fun, and easy war turns out to be the most awful experience anyone could ask for. Thirty-three billion dollars and 22 million deaths later, peace arrives, but America is a changed nation. As written on the Editorial Page of the Wall Street Journal on November 17, 1998 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the First World War, "As much as the loss of life, we mourn the loss of innocence, in a generation and a century."
With the election of 1916 just around the corner, Woodrow Wilson's campaign for reelection on the basis of "peace and honor" is going strong with his slogan, "He kept us out of war." America at this time did not want war, nor did they see it in the near future. For that reason, Wilson is elected for a second term as the president. Unrestricted submarine warfare continues in the waters off the coast of Europe, controlled by Germany. Germany, at this time does not see America as a threat. The United States is looked at upon as being incapable of raising and transporting an army to Europe in a adequate amount of time. As stated by the secretary of the state for the navy of Germany, "THEY WILL NOT EVEN COME . . . because our submarines will sink them. Thus, America, from a military point of view, is nothing, and again nothing, and for a third time nothing" (Capelle 372). This made Wilson smoke, but what really ignited the fire within him is the continuation of the sinking of American ocean going vessels. Between March twelfth and nineteenth 1917 alone, there are four American merchant ships sunk without warning. With a growing demand for war, on April 2, 1917, Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany. Wilson does this to make the "world safe for democracy" and to promote "peace and safety for all nations." He also wants to ensure a strong future in foreign trade for America. The American public, in general, thinks the war would be over shortly, as does those in Europe. America's intention of the war is that it will be glorious and glamorous. The young men signing up for the army have the idea that this will be an exciting opportunity to travel and see new places. They were taught Horace's Odes; "Dulce et decorum est propatria mori," translated means, "It is sweet and honorable to die for one's country." In other words, America is in a state of ignorant bliss. With this mindset, the young men of America go into battle, soon to be blown when they realize the cruelty of war.
In Europe, the fighting has begun, as does the harsh reality of modern warfare of the soldiers. Trench warfare plays a major role in the type of fighting that takes place. In trench warfare, opposing armies are put into trenches dug into the ground, separated by a "no man's land." No man's land is a desolate spread of land which contains shell craters and barbed wire. Soldiers remain in the trenches for anywhere between four and seven days, then they are put on reserve, then rest, and back into the trenches. All this time, the troops are in fear of bombs or grenades which could hit them at any time. Soldiers can not control what is going on around them. All they could do is hope for the best. In Madeline Ida Bedford's poem, "Munition Wages," a stanza reads, "We're all here today, mate,Tomorrow - perhaps dead, If Fate tumbles on us/ And blows up our shed" (lines 17-20). This stanza shows the sad truth of the constant concern of fighting in the trenches. Along with fear came hunger, thirst, extreme cold, filth, and the stench of petrifying bodies. The soldiers are only given the minimum clothes and food for survival. On top of that, there are rats, nits, and itch mites which give disease and infection. There are no way to treat these due to lack of medical care. Aspirin and alcohol were sometimes the only thing available to the soldiers for aid. During the time in the trenches, the soldiers have another enemy; rain. The rain fills the trenches, causing a constant struggle against water and mud. Prolonged exposure to standing in the rain results in a horrible infection of the foot called trench foot, where the toes and foot rot. The only thing that can be done is to amputate the infected portion . The rain and cold result in fatal respiratory illnesses, influenza, or pneumonia. Beside these physical tortures, there are mental tortures such as the feeling of powerlessness, boredom, and vulnerability. If the soldier would survive the war, they are permanently scarred with these memories and may never recover. This became known as shell shock. John Nash, a soldier who fights in the war, created a work of art that he calls "Over the Top." This painting depicts a group of soldiers emerging from a trench, charging into "no man's land," towards the enemy. Nash paints this from memory, which is be forever engraved in his mind. Sixty-eight men, of the eighty men in the trench, are either injured or killed during this happening. The painting portrays the extreme cold, worn out soldiers, and how quick death can happen in war. During World War I, the generals believe that the side with the most men will eventually win. This is known as the principle of the longer purse. This "natural wastage" is approximately two million soldiers a year. World War I is basically a war of attrition. With the news of the brutality in Europe, Americans do not want to participate in war anymore. American men able for war do not want to engage in combat, nor do their parents want them to. A popular song in 1915 explains the feelings that went through the mother and father of a soldier with the chorus, "I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier,/ I brought him up to be my pride and joy./ Who dares to place a musket on his shoulder,/ To shoot some other mother's darling boy?" (chorus). Like the Secretary of War, Newton Baker states, "By 1917, The glory had passed from war. Young men saw soldiering as cruel duty rather than as sport" (70). This gives arise to a military draft. Congress pass the Selective Service Act in May 1917, requiring men to register to be randomly chosen for duty. Propaganda is used to promote registering, including in the form of art. In 1917, James Montgomery creates a painting with Uncle Sam pointing forward with the words "I Want You For US Army." This is made into posters which are used to recruit civilians. The poster is fitting for public use because of the well known image of Uncle Sam. Eighteen more months of this ghastly fighting takes place until on November 11, 1918, Germany agrees to sign the armistice, or truce, ending the war.
Although the war is over and there is peace, the peace is that of a bittersweet one. There are many problems to be taken care of. The war cost a total of thirty-three billion dollars, which equates to forty-four million dollars per day. This left the United States in debt. Strikes occurred all over America, 3,600 in 1919 alone. During the war, the Great Migration of hundreds of thousands of blacks from the southern portion of the Unites States occurred. The blacks migrated north to avoid the Jim Crow laws. When soldiers return, they find that they lost their jobs due to the blacks from the south. This leads to race riots in the northeast and greater participation in the Ku Klux Klan. A wrath of pessimism tales over the American way of life. T.S. Eliot captures the emotion of this time in his poem, "The Hollow Men." Eliot writes, "This is the dead land/ This is cactus land/ Here the stone images/ Are raised, here they receive/ The supplication of a dead man's hand/ Under the twinkle of a fading star" (lines 39-44). These six lines explain the loneliness and hopelessness of the people of this period. They have no hope for a positive future and there will be no growth. The mood of this poem is depressing, cold, and blue as is the mood of post World War I. No one can escape the war although it had ended. Soldiers are scarred for life with terrible deformities. Motion pictures were influenced by these characteristics of the soldiers. Frankenstein, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Phantom of the Opera all feature men with obscene ugliness. These horror films indeed reflect the horror of the war.
The American citizen's intention of the war was to be exciting, it turned out to be awful, and the peace that followed was full of pleasure and pain. The 22 million soldiers and civilians that lost their lives in the war did not want to die. The amount of money that it cost during the war will never amount to the loss of innocence in that generation.
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