Osborne 1 Vincent Osborne Professor Gabriela Baika HUM2052 - Civilization 2: Renaissance to Modern August 19, 2012 The effects

of World War I on soldiers and civilians War and mankind is synonymous with each other as night and day is one and the same. Throughout mankinds history, war has been one of those ever enduring enigma most rational humans cannot justify. While war has affected just about every continent on the earth in some form or the other, it wasnt until World War I however, that a war dragged every major developed nation into a single conflict. World War I caused so many social, cultural and political changes, and affected both soldiers and civilians in profound ways that continues to reverberate into modern times. Despite the obvious horrific nature of war, fighting on the front lines and in the trenches had its share of benevolent moments. For instance, sometimes troops would make informal agreements to avoid battles so that some battalions could go for long stretches with hardly a casualty (Hunt 786). Other acts of humanity can be seen when troops are eating their meals in peace without fear of attacks despite obvious vulnerabilities inherent during such activities. This is especially amazing when a single grenade could handily take out an unsuspecting battalion while eating. Interestingly, many enemy troops bonded in some of the most unsuspecting ways by shouting to each other [or signaling] across the battlefield to not fire upon them (Hunt 786). Paradoxically, many of the soldiers down there in the abysmal drudgery of the trenches or the frontline where men lose their humanity and often engulfed in

Osborne 2 maddening exasperation, transforms in unexpected ways. Many of them actually find benevolence: Burying enemy dead in common graves with their own fallen comrades, many ordinary soldiers came to feel more warmly toward enemies who shared the trench experience than toward uncomprehending civilians back home (Hunt 786). Another high point that came out of the miserable life that soldiers experience on the front line or down in the trenches were the bonds many of them formed. With these men so far away from family and friends, their own fellow comrade often were the only solace in what must otherwise appear to be utter madness to many. In many cases, class and ethnic distinctions blurred, as *s+oldiers picked lice from each others bodies and clothes, tended each others blistered feet, and came to love each other, sometimes even passionately (Hunt 786). The front line and the trenches were not the only place seeing dramatic shift in social order. On the home front, civilian life, particularly womens, were also being transferred in unexpected and fundamental ways. To fund and continue the war machine, governments had to increase and sustain production of war components (military equipment, food, clothing, etc.) and sometimes even nationalizing some industries. As a result of the war many women lost their jobs when luxury shops, textile factories, and other nonessential establishments closed (Hunt 789). Couple this with the depleting population of male workers in many industries. We saw many low-paid domestic workers taking up employment in high-paying technological jobs in formerly restricted munitions and metallurgical industries (Hunt 789).

Osborne 3 These changes came with both good and bad. For instance, many thought these changes reflected a decaying social order and many men felt threatened that women would replace them in such jobs. Relegating them to insignificance after the war ends. Even some women thought that women were losing their sense of femininity, after being required to dress in more male attire and assume more male dominated job posts. The frantic pace of manufacturing to keep up with the war machine saw an increase in scientific methods (such as Taylors methods) to increase worker output and productivity. Such scientific management continued well after the war had ended in many manufacturing plants, such as Ford Moto Companys Detroit assembly line. Many industrialists used European psychologists who emphasized the mental aspects of productivity and the need to balance work and leisure activities (Hunt 807). While such methods increased productivity and prosperity, it also came at the burden of severe restrictions on time and motions where workers were allowed to use the bathroom only on a fixed schedule (Hunt 807). So as a result of the war machines, it fueled a dramatic shift in workplace social order. Women were increasingly being employed in industrial production lines; working conditions were being reimaged for maximum efficiency and productivity. Workers were increasingly being classified and categorized, such as work that required less skill as female jobs. Lastly, because of the war efforts to increase production and quality, many male dominated jobs were increasingly being threatened by laborsaving machines (Hunt 807).

Osborne 4 Works Cited Hunt, Martin, et al. The Making of the West, Peoples and Cultures, A Concise History. Third Edition. 2003. Bedford/St. Martin. New York. Print.