All Quiet on The Western Front (Essay 2)
book written by: Remarque
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 nationali sm, 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.
Send e-mail to lisa@studyworld.com
with questions or comments about this web site.
