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Nationalism can be defined as having a sense of belonging and
loyalty to ones country or nation state. Of all the European nations,
France was the first to sport the idea of nationalism. Many countries
became influenced by the French's ideas of nationalIsm. As a result
nationalism had spread throught out Europe by the nineteenth and
twenteth century. One result that nationalisn had on Europe was, the
wanting of unification. The people of nation states wanted their
country to belong to. This wanting lea d to the unfying of Italy and
Germany. Soon nationalism had increased the peoples confidedence., And
a feeling of imperialism ran through the unified countries. Unified
countries such as France, Germany, Russia wanted to extend their
empires. But this Imperialism in Europe led to many conflicts between
countries. All this Conflict eventually resulted in the begining of
Worls War I.
The causes of World War I were the intense nationalism that
dominated Europe throughout the 19th and into the 20th century, and the
establishment of large armies in Europe after 1871. Imperialism created
a rivaly between nations and empires. The build up of armies and navies
created fear between nations. France feared Germany, Germany feared
Russia, Austria-Hungary and Russia rivaled around Bulkans, Britain
feared German's expanding navy, Slovakia wanted to free Slavian land
from Astria-Hungary's apressI on. Italy was jealous of French and
English colonies in Africa. Ottoman Empire struggled to survive in a
hostile climate. Germany signed a secret alliance with Austria-Hungray
and Italy, thus creating a Triple Alliance. France and Russia signed an
Entente agreement which was later signed by Britain, thus creating
Triple Entante. Then Europe was divided into hostile camps. During this
time nationalism had caused a golrified view of the war. Thise view
showed how inexpirence the people of Europe were in war far. In Erich
Maria Remarque's novel All Quiet on the Western Front, we can see that
eventhough this gorious view contradicted the Germans soildiers
expectations, they still stayed loyal.
In the Begining of the novel we read that Paul Baumer and his class
mates had volunteered to enlist in the war. But they were forced in to
volunteering. Their school master Kantorek had filled their heads up
with views of nationalism which glorified the war. Some students were
even under the pressure of thier parents to enlist. Not enlisting would
be like turning your back on your country. To the teachers and school
masters, going to war was the best thing a man could do for his
country. When Baumer and his friends get to boot camp, they find out
all is not what they expected it to be. In boot camp Baumer and his
class mates are taught to be soildiers. They Find out that everything
that was learned in school, has no meaning in the war. It was also in
the front line , were Baumer and his friends see the contradictions
made by the people at home. Paul and his commrades all expierenced the
true horror of the war in the front. Each one of the class-mates and
German soildiers expirenced death of other soildI ers, the agony of the
wounded. Baumer's group also faced hunger, fear, the destructiveness of
the new war technology. These technologies included the use of machine
guns, gas, falme throwers, bomding planes, and the tanks used by the
Brittish. Despite al l these contradictions Baumer's group and the
German soldiers seen, they stilled continued to stay loyal to the war .
One reason why the German soldiers continued to fight in the war was
the training they recieved. In All Quiet on the Western Front, Baumer
and his group had one of the strictess drill instructers, Corparol
Himmelstoss. Despite what seemed like abuse, Him mestoss' training
actually benifitted the soildiers. Himmelstoss training, made the
soldiers bitter, and their senses were sharpened. They soildiers needed
to be bitter, and more sharp, it they were to survive the war.
The will to survive is another reason why the German soldiers kept
fighting. During an counter attack, Baumer explains that the soldiers
undergo transformation. Baumer says that they become wild beasts in the
field. Baumers says that thier obejective is to to fight, but to defend
themselves against annihilation. The soilders also feel an anger from
within, which allows them to kill , and to then save them selves. Paul
also goes on to say that when they are in this rage, they kill. If the
soldiers don't k ill, their enemies will kill them. The German
soildiers have no choice, you eithier kill or be killed by you foe.
Commradeship is an other reason the Germans soildiers keep fighting.
In the story, Buamer's group is made up of a variety of people. There
is a peasant, farmer, locksmith, peatdigger, and students. In the war
these diverse people, who would not normally meet in civillian life,
are struggling to keep their country together. Also near the end of the
story, two flame throwers are getting closer to Baumer and his
companions. One of the junior officers then gets up and shoots the
flamethrowers. In the process , the junior officer gets killed. This
act shows how close the commradeship was inthe German army.
Another reason why the German soldiers kept fighting was, that was
all they knew what to do. In the story, Paul Baumer tells us that all
the older soldiers are stilled linked to their presnt lives. These
older soldiers have wives, children , jobs and int rests to come back
to. According to Baumer, all the younger soldiers have to come back to
is their parents and maybe a girlfriend. The young soldiers have no
jobs and no idea on what life beyond the war will be like for them. All
the young soldiers know h ow to do is fight in the war. And that is
what they do till they are injured, or killed. This war has totaly
ruined the lives of Buamer, his friends, and all the young German
soldiers who fought in this war.
The fact that the German soldiers are forced to fight this war is
anther reason they continue to stay loyal to the war cause. In All
Quiet on the Western Front, Baumer and his group had a dissccussion on
why is there war, who started the war , and why must they be there.
During this discusion we find out that none of them actuaaly wants to
be at war. If they had the chance woul d leave the war to go home.
Baumer's group concluded that the cause of the war is because of some
general or ruler wanting to gain fame. They are stuck fightitng for
this cause none of them wants to fight for.
The most important reason why the german soldiers stayed loyal to
the war was the bit of nationalism still left inside of them. The fact
alone that they were continuing war that they couldn't win, was a signe
of the loyalty to thier country. Throughout t he entire novel, there
was not one indication of mutany. The German soldiers kept fighting and
never turned thier back on the war or their country. Eevn in the end of
the novel, Buamer shows his nationalism . Near the end Buamer tells us
that the german s oldiers are not beaten, because they are better and
more expirence than the other soldiers. It wa sjust they were driven
back by overwhelming superior forces. This statement by paul showed
that the German soldiers sill nationalisn, despite the contradict ions
made by their people at home.
In conclusion, because of the strong feelings of nationalism in
Europe, many conflicts broke out between the cuntries and empies of
Europe. The result of these conflicts eventually lead to World War I.
During the war, the peoples view of nationalism of ten contradicted
what the soildiers had to face in the war. These views showed how
inexperienced the people were in modern warfare. In Erich Maria
Remarque's novel All Quiet on the Western Front, we can see depite all
these contradicting views, that the G erman soldiers continued to fight
a war could not win.
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