World War I was fought between 1914 and 1918 between the Allies and the Central Powers. A critical review of the causes and the trajectory of the war would lead to the conclusion that it was premised on the changing nature of the world geopolitics. This paper shall consider the nature of life for the soldiers in the battle frontlines and the effects of the war to the civilians in the home fronts. From the onset, however, it should be appreciated that the war had immediate and long term consequences on lifestyles, economies and the military organizations.
The life of the soldiers at the battlefronts can be described as uncertain and unfriendly to say the least. The soldiers were compelled in continuous states of anxiety and uncertainty as each side engaged each other in the new war methods and artillery they had innovated and developed. The war tested the organization and coordination system of the military. It put to test issues of language barrier and political international mergers. The soldiers were confronted with the often uninviting tasks of fighting in unknown and unfriendly terrains. They were compelled to live and survive in uncultivated and remote locations. This came with diseases, hunger and a general state of cynicism. The normal societal balance was affected. The soldiers in the military camps and battlefronts were not able to lead normal lifestyles. Recreational activities were limited and unenjoyable. In addition, the mixture of races and nationalities gave room for racism and nation based discrimination. The black military men were most affected as they were discriminated against, misused and often compelled to the frontlines making them the biggest casualties of the enemy fire. However, in the long run, it can be surmised that the soldiers underwent transformations on the military organization, military equipment and strategies employment.
As the war continued in the battlefronts, the civilian life at the home fronts was equally affected. The state of war placed the nations in a state of uncertainty and anxiety. In addition, the normal industrial economics was affected. Industries operated on the minimum. Issues of lack of raw materials and labour affected the production and distribution processes. This would occasion a scarcity of commodities in the homes. Consequently ensuing hunger and destitution prevailed in the homes. The normal lifestyles were affected in the same vein. For instance, military enlisting took away young and average aged men from the society. The houses hence lacked the contributions and participation of the men. This changed the nature of events in areas such as procreation, fatherly roles in the family, and work in the farms, among others.
In addition, the war introduced in the homes a culture of conservation and austerity as the citizens were unsure when the war would end and who would assume victory. They consequently had to employ economical ways of consumption of the resources. Moreover, the war had created a deficit in industrial production processes and effectively occasioned a crisis in the supply of commodities. The attendant industrial destruction would weaken economies leading to reduced lifestyles and lower living conditions at the home fronts.
In conclusion, it should be appreciated that the war led to the rediscovery of the world. It introduced the new society complete with its new leadership in the economic, political and social spheres. In the long run, it served to prepare society for the new generation and its attendant consequences.
Works Cited
Rothbard , M. "World War 1 as Fulfillment: Power and the Intellectuals." The Journal of Libertain Studies (2009): 82-121.
Schaepdrijver, Sophie De. "Military occupation, political imaginations, and the First World War." Journal of the International Society for First World War Studies (2013): 1-5.
