World War I was initially a war between the Great European Powers, the Allied and the Central Powers. However, this soon became a total war involving people from all across the globe, as a result of growing European imperialism that has been occurring in the decades prior. European imperialism meant that the colonies of the European countries were obligated to support their parent nations, which led to a massive influx of Sub-Saharan African soldiers towards the war. Most African soldiers predominantly fought for the Allied countries due to the dominance of Great Britain and France in Africa. Although Sub-Saharan African soldiers contributed massively to an Allied victory in World War I, systematic racism meant that they were severely undervalued
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Sub-Saharan African soldiers were significant to the result of World War I, as they helped the French army that was facing manpower shortages, but despite this, they were unfairly expected to be an elite fighting force, and the French’s preconceived judgments ultimately led to severe casualty rates. The French army had a lack of soldiers compared to the armies of the Central Powers’ countries. Due to this, the French recruited a hefty amount of soldiers, with over four million non-white men, mostly Africans, contributing to the war. The recruited soldiers became vital, as this brought additional belligerents for the Allied forces, which resulted in a greater number of soldiers over the Central Powers. The size of the Allied army was a huge advantage, which would prove to be a key factor in the Allied victory. …show more content…
Racism played a huge part in the lives of the Sub-Saharan African soldiers, and they had to deal with it constantly. This discrimination is apparent when Woodrow Wilson 1917, who rejected the presence of the African soldiers in the US, stated that he wanted to keep “white civilization and its domination of the planet” despite the soldiers fighting hand to hand with the US armies as fellow Allied forces. This blatant injustice towards the African soldiers was ever-present and demonstrates that even though the US armies and African armies both fought for the same cause, they were still inferior in western society. Furthermore, the Africans soldiers were rewarded less money than their European counterparts for the same amount of contribution in the war, as, in 2006, a Sub-Saharan African military veteran would only receive €61 a month, while a French military veteran received €690. The contrast in their income illustrates how unjustly treated the African soldiers are, and that they weren’t credited enough for their efforts in the war. In addition, their involvement in the war went largely overlooked for most of history, and was only given official recognition in April 2017, almost a hundred years after the war ended, when President
Sub-Saharan African soldiers were significant to the result of World War I, as they helped the French army that was facing manpower shortages, but despite this, they were unfairly expected to be an elite fighting force, and the French’s preconceived judgments ultimately led to severe casualty rates. The French army had a lack of soldiers compared to the armies of the Central Powers’ countries. Due to this, the French recruited a hefty amount of soldiers, with over four million non-white men, mostly Africans, contributing to the war. The recruited soldiers became vital, as this brought additional belligerents for the Allied forces, which resulted in a greater number of soldiers over the Central Powers. The size of the Allied army was a huge advantage, which would prove to be a key factor in the Allied victory. …show more content…
Racism played a huge part in the lives of the Sub-Saharan African soldiers, and they had to deal with it constantly. This discrimination is apparent when Woodrow Wilson 1917, who rejected the presence of the African soldiers in the US, stated that he wanted to keep “white civilization and its domination of the planet” despite the soldiers fighting hand to hand with the US armies as fellow Allied forces. This blatant injustice towards the African soldiers was ever-present and demonstrates that even though the US armies and African armies both fought for the same cause, they were still inferior in western society. Furthermore, the Africans soldiers were rewarded less money than their European counterparts for the same amount of contribution in the war, as, in 2006, a Sub-Saharan African military veteran would only receive €61 a month, while a French military veteran received €690. The contrast in their income illustrates how unjustly treated the African soldiers are, and that they weren’t credited enough for their efforts in the war. In addition, their involvement in the war went largely overlooked for most of history, and was only given official recognition in April 2017, almost a hundred years after the war ended, when President