War has defined humanity since the beginning. It has redrawn maps of countries, wiped out empires, and taken the lives of approximately 37 million people since 1800 (Herre). Writers and philosophers have tried to convey the idea that nothing good can come of something that devastates entire populations a myriad of times. One of these authors, Erich Maria Remarque, details the horror and injustice of war in his novel All Quiet on the Western Front. Remarque illustrates how countries were able to convince more men to fight, as well as perpetuate the notion of just war through the use of propaganda, misinformation, and appealing to a sense of nationalism, all of which the main character, Paul, becomes aware of throughout the novel. In the early stages of World War I, countries needed a way to boost morale at home and
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David Luban proposes that “These doctrines originate from a moral understanding of violent conflict. The danger exists, however, that when the concepts of the theory are adopted into the usage of politics and diplomacy their moral content is replaced by definitions which are merely convenient.” Here, Luban places the blame directly on the politicians who bend the ideas of just war to fit their personal agenda. To further the just war doctrine, propaganda was put out further glorifying war, turning it into “a festive competition, more like a game than a gravely serious matter” (World History 463). This thinking persuaded more men to enlist in the military, just like Paul, and subsequently give up their lives in a war that would never benefit them, only those in power. Propaganda, misinformation, and manipulation were all tactics used by governments to persuade men to fight in the war, and Paul grew aware of this throughout the novel, All Quiet on the Western
David Luban proposes that “These doctrines originate from a moral understanding of violent conflict. The danger exists, however, that when the concepts of the theory are adopted into the usage of politics and diplomacy their moral content is replaced by definitions which are merely convenient.” Here, Luban places the blame directly on the politicians who bend the ideas of just war to fit their personal agenda. To further the just war doctrine, propaganda was put out further glorifying war, turning it into “a festive competition, more like a game than a gravely serious matter” (World History 463). This thinking persuaded more men to enlist in the military, just like Paul, and subsequently give up their lives in a war that would never benefit them, only those in power. Propaganda, misinformation, and manipulation were all tactics used by governments to persuade men to fight in the war, and Paul grew aware of this throughout the novel, All Quiet on the Western