During the early 20th century, war was considered an honor to be a part of. To fight for your country was considered such a great honor and you would be fighting for the ruler of your country. Patriotism was a major concept in the early 20th century. Some teenagers thought that fighting for your country was better than going to college (even though at that time it was probably the smart thing to do because Germany would have been decimated by the French and Russian troops). All Quiet on the Western Front’s characters have that same mindset in the beginning of the story but as the story progresses and the war progresses, the characters soon realize that war is not just fun and games. When the story begins Paul Baumer (the main character)
