All Quiet Western Front Essay, Research Paper

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.