Patriotism In All Quiet On The Western Front

In the early twentieth century, an infamous war broke out in Europe between Germany and Austria-Hungary. As a consequence, more countries became involved in the war, such as Russia, France, and Italy; and the war was deemed to be the First World War. The experience of the war was often romanticized with the ideals of patriotism and honor , however the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, written by Erin Maria Remarque during a time of anti-war sentiment in Europe, shows an alternative perspective. In Remarque’s novel, a soldier named Paul Bäumer, who volunteered to join the army along with his classmates, shares his contrasting horrific experiences of war with the perceived illusion of greatness and honor that civilians had about the war. The novel was seen as an anti-war argument because of the physical and psychological consequences that were observed and experienced by Bäumer was the complete opposite of the glorified nationalism and honor that was relied to them by their teacher . The most prominent and compelling anti-war arguments in the book include the realization of soldiers having to disconnect from their emotions in …show more content…
Those who advocated for war and convinced others were ignorant about the actual horrors of war because they were never on the battlefield. The reality was that, soldiers had to detach their emotions so they wouldn’t dwell on fear and death that was apparent all around them, the savagery of the war due to the casualties and the manner in which they died, and technological advances that aided in increasing the number of fatalities. Ultimately, those who physically participated in the war and in combat, knew the true repugnance of war. And, the disillusioned that advocated for war, did not comprehend the reality that the war was not for honor or nationalism because they did not physically participate on the war