Most prisoners of war were captured by surrendering as a unit as individual surrender was very uncommon.
Life in a prison was determined by the person who was in charge and his crew, though what caused problems was the lack of unity of the camps.
War Camps in Germany- Due to the miscalculation of how long the war would take, German's were not prepared for the mass number of captive soldiers they held and may of the prisons were quickly prepared and were insufficient. For the first half year the prisoners had no work but by summer of 1915 camps had been established for the prisoners to work in mines, factories, and farms.
Specifically in Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia camps the living situation were unhygienic and in 1915 a severe epidemic of typhus broke causing the death of many prisoners and even in the Russian Army. This caused an improvement of living environments.
In a form of retaliation some prisons forced soldiers into labor and they often died of starvation and cold on the fronts.
Treaty of Versailles – the treaty imposed on Germany by France, Great Britain, U.S. and other Allied Powers after WWI. It demanded that Germany dismantle its military and give up some lands to Poland
The Armistice- a series of peace treaties between Germany and the allies that influence the ending of WWI. Some of the terms that were required in the Armistice were the Germans had to evacuate all German occupied territories as well as 555,000 pieces of military equipment lost.
These requirements seem intense and possibly too harsh but the French thought that the requirements in the Armistice and The Treaty of Versailles were too lenient. This led to contrast between French rulers and the rulers of other countries.
The Treaty of Versailles and the Armistice were two of the peace negotiations that influenced and aided the ending of WWI. Some of the other treaties that helped the ending of the war are The Treaty of Brest Litovsk and The Treaty of Bucharest.
The link below is an article that goes more in depth about the Treaty of Versailles and its terms.
9. War along the Western Front http://www.richthofen.com/ww1sum/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/western_front/index_embed.shtml
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/schlieffen_plan.htm
The Western Front was a line that ran roughly between the French and German borders, stretching from Southern France and through the country to the English Channel. The Western Front hosted most of the fighting between the Allies and Axis powers.
Germany feared that the war would take place on two fronts, in both eastern and western Europe. It was decided that France should be taken out first, in order to turn attention to larger and more formidable Russia before it mobilized its forces towards the German border. This was called the Schlieffen plan, engineered by German count Alfred von Schlieffen, and the execution of this plan led England to declare war on Germany.
The British army then encountered the Germans at Mons, a city in Belgium, where they halted the Germans but were forced to retreat 200 miles back to the French river Marne. This is where the Front began, stretching up from Southern France to the Belgian border. Trenches were dug on either sides, starting the use of trench warfare and beginning the establishment of the Western Front. From there, both sides started digging trenches farther north, in what was known as "The Race to the Sea" to the English Channel.
The Battle of Ypres in Belgium marked Germany's last step in the race to the sea. Assisted by the Indian army, the British, determined to hold the city as a last resort to drive Germany away, used last reserves until Germany eventually retreated.
However, the Germans were still determined to capture Ypres in order to line trenches all the way to the Channel. In a 1915 attack on the city, the Germans used chlorine gas, the first time chemicals were used in warfare. While the fighting lasted a month, Germany only gained about 3 miles worth of ground to the heart of the city and still failed to capture it.
TRENCH WARFARE Trenches Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived all day and night. They were used for protection so that the soldiers could take cover in a bunker -like area. Trenches were hardly a new idea or unique to the great war. It was widely practiced in recent wars such as the American Civil War and the Russo-Japanese War. At first, trenches were only built temporarily for cover, but beginning at the Battle of Aisne (1914, click link for more), the trenches began to become permanent. In result of successive moves to outflank the enemy, the trenches began to become larger and larger until they were continuous, covering some 400 miles from Switzerland to the North Sea.
http://www.historyonthenet.com/ww1/trenches.htm Above is a diagram of an average trench layout. In front is the front line. The front line was almost always under fire and was very dangerous. There were sandbags and barbed wire for protection in front of the trench. This line was rarely straight because it follows a contour that is natural to the land, allowing for better defense. This front line was always dug out into sections. Therefore, if a front line was exploded by a shell, or overrun by the enemy only a section would be affected. Behind it was a similarly made support line. There were often dugouts in these lines for shelter, telephone, or other uses. Dugouts were protective holes dug out of the sides of trenches. They could fit about three to four people. "No man's land" was the name of the space between two opposing trenches. (For more on terms like "no man's land" and "dugout", that started in World War 1 and popularized into modern day expressions, click here.)Because of the layout of the average trench, capturing an enemy's trench was difficult due to the fact that the trench now had to be turned around in order to effectively defend.
Life in the Trenches
In busy areas, shellfire from the enemy would lead to random death along men who were simply lounging in the trench or dugout.Novices were told not to peer over the parapet into no man's land. Many casualties occurred on a soldiers first day in the trenches because of this. About one third of the allied deaths occurred in the trenches. Millions of rats infested the trenches every day. There were brown and black rats, but the brown rats were more feared by the soldiers. They were known to feast of remains human flesh and could grow to the size of cats. These rats scared and annoyed the soldiers by doing things such as running on there faces at night. The soldiers would attempted to get rid of them via methods such as shooting, stabbing, or even clubbing. This however was virtually useless due to the fact that a single rat could produce u to 900 offspring per year. These would rats would spread diseases to the soldiers on top of tormenting them.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/566468459354344136/ Lice was also very prevalent. They caused infection and nuisance as well. Lice caused a disease called Trench Fever. Trench Fever was a painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain and was followed by a high fever. The trenches were also fill of frogs, slugs, and horned beetles to make matters worse. Trench Foot was a fungal disease called by cold, wet feet. Trench Foot would often end in amputation. The cycle of soldiers along the trenches became known as the trench cycle. A soldier would spend a short period of time at the front line, rotate to support lines, and then reserved lines. this would be followed by a period of rest. For the most part, both sides' days went about the same. The soldiers would awake to something called a "stand to" which would happen at dawn. They would then often be given rum to clean their rifles and other supplies. They would have breakfast next, which would also mean an unofficial truce would be made while the soldier ate breakfast, This truce would extend to wagons carrying food. Once breakfast was over, the platoon commander or company would inspect the soldiers. After the inspections, daily chores would be done. These daily chores included the refilling of sandbags, the repair of duckboards on the floor of the trench, and the draining of the trenches. Due to snipers, movement was very restricted until nighttime. At dusk they would take care of supplies and maintenance. The trenches would be very active at nighttime. Soldiers would travel into no man's land to repair barriers and revive wounded soldiers. But, aside from all of these other traits of the trenches, the most infamous trait was the smell. The smell could be smelt from far away. It was a combination of 200,000 dead bodies, poisonous gas, cigarette smoke, food, rotten sandbags, and much more.
http://fc.greensboroday.org/~ldrewicz/APEuro THE IMPACT OF TRENCHES IN WW1 World War 1, with the first appearance of modern day weapons, was mostly a defensive war. The fact that it was a defensive war made trenches very prevalent because militaries wanted to effectively protect their troops. The map above illustrates the almost steady fronts of World War 1. These fronts include the Western Front, the Eastern Front, the Italian Front, and the Balkan Front. These were primarily were the trenches were built. The trenches would usually be as long as the actual fronts themselves. The Germans were known for working hard in building there trenches; making sure that it was dry, not too uncomfortable, and occasionally having electricity and running water. The British and French, however, not expecting to be there long, did not spend nearly as much time into building there trenches. This led to wetter, muddier, more disease filled trenches. TRENCHES TODAY......
http://www.history.com/photos/world-war-i-trench-warfare Works Cited Duffy, Michael, ed. "Life in the Trenches." First World War. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm> "Life on the Front Line." BBC World War One. BBC, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25626530>. "In the Trenches." The Long Long Trail. Milverton Associates Ltd, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <http://www.1914-1918.net/intrenches.htm>.
According to Google, Propaganda is “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.” During World War I, this biased information was often communicated through visuals such as posters of gruesome images or heavy topics. Propaganda is and has been used through out time due to the persuasive images that convince people to hop on the “band wagon”. Although it may sound like nothing, Propaganda in the past has been the cause of many political leaders road to regime.
One thing’s for sure, citizens only knew what their governments wanted them to know. The government for each country involved in World War I wanted their citizens to think a certain way, to increase their hatred for the enemy and encourage them to join the army.
All sources of media that citizens were able to see were read through thoroughly by the government, for they only wanted people to know specific information. The government also used the media, mainly newspapers, to distribute their propaganda.
Russia's Use of Propaganda During World War I
Russia's use of propaganda was not similar to other European countries during World War I. The Russian government didn't use propaganda for recruitment for the army (they're army was already extremely large and did not need any more fighters) nor to turn their citizens against the enemy, but to encourage the Russians to buy government bonds to fund the war. Like I mentioned earlier, the Russian army was huge and did not need a draft any more soldiers. So, more than anything, the Russian army needed ammunition to keep the large army up and running. Their army lacked weapons, equipment, food, and mobilized infantry to keep this army on the move, but did not have the wealth to endure these resources. With this concept in mind, Russia used propaganda to persuade Russian citizens to buy government bonds to fund the war at 5 1/2% return per month.
5 1/2% was the return rate per month
A British recruitment poster
Britain's Use of Propaganda During World War I
The British were in the exact opposite position of Germans, they lacked a large number of professional troops after entering the war in 1914. Since the British were extremely weak in warfare, it was important that they recruit more soldiers to fight. The British government decided to use propaganda to spread the word about army recruitment, instead of enlisting men through a draft or by force. The British propaganda also influenced women, for they felt inspired by the men who went off to war, so in return they stepped up in their daily duties to support the country in every way possible.
Britain's Portrayal of Germany
The British also used propaganda to turn their citizens against the enemy, the Germans. The Germans had started this propaganda fight when they depicted the British as an evil force in their propaganda. The British retaliated, and adopted the German ways of propaganda. As shown in this image to the left, the British illustrated the Germans as evil beasts to their citizens. The British used media to their advantage by placing propaganda advertisements in newspapers and posters. For example, the newspapers spiced things up by fabricating events. One headline on a British newspaper was “Belgium child’s hand cut off by Germans” and another was “Germans crucify Canadian officer”. These headlines, as well as other Propaganda, were used by the British to strengthen the hatred of their enemy, the Germans within their country.
Germany's Use of Propaganda During World War I
A German propaganda stamp
A German cartoon mocking the British
Germany was among the first countries to utilize propaganda, and initially used it to spread hatred for the British. They depicted the British as monsters, not humans to create hostile feelings among the German citizens. These messages were spread through newspapers, posters, and even postal stamps. When word got back to the British that the Germans were referring them as monsters in their propaganda, the British quickly reciprocated and took up the German ways of Propaganda.
The United States' Use of Propaganda During World War I
Even though the United States was the last country to participate in World War I, they were extremely motivated to persuade their people to participate in the war. The United States mainly used propaganda to urge men to join the army and fight for their country. These pieces motivating propaganda often depicted heroic images, so men thought that if they went to fight that after the war they'd be considered heroes.
Propaganda artists even used women and children as a symbol to encourage men to fight for the United States, who are depicted beckoning the men to join the army. The United States propaganda used methods similar to Germany, by illustrating the enemy as "bloodthirsty monsters." These monsters were shown in propaganda attacking American citizens, which provoked men to fight in the war.
The United States did not only use propaganda for recruiting purposes, but also encouraged people to support the war by buying war bonds issued by the government. Other posters asked for donations to the armies, such as clothing and food.
Propaganda Today
Even though propaganda was very influential during World War I in the 1900s, this method of manipulation still exists today. Most recently, Isis has released an excerpt from their recruiting video. The video depicts their soldiers as being heroic and looking like action movie stars, and tries to encourage young people to come work with them. Take a look at this 5 minute clip:
Introduction World War I was caused by a combination of increased nationalism throughout the world, an age of imperialism, an arms race between countries, and social tension throughout Europe. However, all these issues can be traced back to the industrial revolution. When countries began to industrialize and join together as a people and feelings of nationalism arose. Also as nations gained wealth and power, they felt the need to imperialize in order to gain more power, resources, and consumer markets. This caused tension between countries in places like Africa where many nations wanted land. Following the industrial revolution, countries were able to mass produce weapons which lead to an arms race in which countries tried to produce as many weapons possible. Finally industrialization lead to social tension because the working people in industrialized nations gained suffrage and were no longer content with their social status. All these reasons on the eve of WWI severed alliances and allowed the war to spread so far so fast.
This picture personifies the European Powers preparing for war.
Nationalism was one of the major causes of WWI and a huge source of strain on the affairs of the European powers. Germany's nationalism was driven by the fact that they felt they should be the dominant power in Europe. They allied more closely to Austria Hungary, in an effort to take control of South Eastern Europe. Due to their nationalistic mindset, Germany presseured Austria Hungary to declare was on Serbia once Franz Ferdinand was killed by Serbian nationalists (so they could obtain the SE block), which kickstarted WWI. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was the spark that started WWI and was caused by nationalism. Austria Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina to prevent it from becoming part of Serbia, which was trying to expand at the coast of Austria-Hungary. To retaliate, a member of a Bosnian-Serb terrorist nationalist group, the Black Hand, assassinated the Archduke and his wife. This action exploded into the Great War in about a month.
Imperialism Imperialism made alliances much more complicated and made the war more crippling. Imperialism brought countries together that wouldn't normally interact, such as Russia and Japan in the Russo-Japanese war of 1905, which was fought over colonies in China. That was helped form the Triple-Entente by allying Russia with France and Britain. Imperialism also created resentment between the European powers, which generated more complicated alliances. The Germans felt that they were entitled to foreign colonies, and they pursued their goal by challenging Britain's maritime dominance. This provoked a naval arms race between the two countries. Germany created another crisis over imperialism by interfering in Morocco, a country where France was establishing a protectorate. These actions forced Britain to ally with France first (1904) and then Russia (1907), forming the Triple Entente. Also, it has been said that Germany was motivated by imperial aspirations to invade Belgium and France. Those invasions ultimately activated alliances and started the war. Thus, imperialism directly contributed to the outbreak of the war and alliances that made the war so devastating.
Works Cited "World War I." Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction. Ed. John Merriman and Jay Winter. Vol. 5. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. 2751-2766. World History in Context. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. The 4 M-A-I-N Causes of World War One in 6 Minutes. YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRcg_t2oJkc>
Monday, March 30, 2015
Erich Maria Remarque A poor German soldier turned american celebrity
By Maximo Moyer Erich Maria Remarque was born on June 22, 1898 in Osnabruck. His father was a lowly bookbinder, as a result the family was very poor. Because of their lack of income the family moved 8-11 times during Erich's childhood. Among all this uprooting he began to write at age 16. At age eighteen he enrolled at the University of Munster, where yet again his life took a turn, when he was drafted into the German army to fight in World War I.
Remarque was drafted because Germany had just begun to militarily support Austria-Hungary. Remarque was assigned a position on western front where he was wounded once seriously and upwards of four other times. After the fighting Remarque wrote his first novelwhilst recovering from wounds suffered during his time on the front. It was called Die Traumbude ( The Dream Room ) and was published in1920.
http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-hitlere.html -comparison of Hitler and Erich's lives and how it was to fight on the same front at the same time After the war Erich lacked direction in life. He bounced around doing various jobs such as teaching, stonecutting race-car driving, and sports journalism. Altough seemingly devoid of focus, during this time he was writing Im Westen Nichts Neues. In one year the book sold 1.2 million copies and was translated in 12 languages. The English Translation "All Quiet on the Western Front" was wildly popular and it experienced similar success. In fact, the book was so popular it was transcribed into a Hollywood film in 1930. The book was so popular because of Remarque's ability to portray the brutal physical trauma experienced in the war, as well his frustration about the German government for sending its own unwilling people into a war they did not believe in. This ideology is represented throughout the book in quotes such as "I see how peoples are set against one another and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another. I see that the keenest brains of the world invent weapons and words to make it yet more refined and enduring." These two aspects of the novel encapsulated the unrest of the German populous regarding the war and were the driving forces behind its popularity. Another reason the book was revered in Germany is its unconventional style of writing. Similar to Arnold Zweig's Sergeant Grischa the book was written in a brunt, report like style that the Germans and the rest of the world adored. This book was so anti-government that the Nazi's band it during their reign for being "prejudicial to German national prestige".
Remarque, becoming aware of the effects of hie newly found style of writing, went on to write nine more books. Many such as Der Weg zurück (1931; The Road Back). Drei Kameraden (1937; Three Comrades) condemned the German government while illustrating the futile destruction of the war. In The Night in Lisbon, his last novel written in Germany, he refutes Hitler's genocide of the Jewish people and his ridiculous assumption that the Aryans are the master race. These three books, supporting pacifism and exuding sadness surrounding the state of Germany, caused Remarque to be stripped of his citizenship in 1938.http://www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/research/fales/exhibits/remarque/documents/intro.html
-website about a collection of original diaries, manuscripts, letters, photographs, documents, and personal effects along with some Erich's view regarding his self image.
Later life As a result of being blacklisted In the 1947's Remarque became a legal citizen of the United States, where he was beloved. His books were admired in America for giving the American people a means to see a war from the opposing side and for being stark good stories. In America he became increasingly productive.Flotsam and Arc de Triomphe (which returned him to the best seller list) were his two most popular books from his time in the U.S.Aside from writing Erich transformed into quite the celebrity. When he was not in hollywood spending time with actress Marlene Dietrich he was a regular in New York night life. Towardthe end of his life he lived in Switzerland on the shore of Lake Maggiore, at Porto Ronco where he died with his wife, actress Paulette Goddard, by his side.
Paulette Goddard
Works Cited
"Erich Maria Remarque Biography." Encyclopedia of World Biography. N.p.: n.p., --information and picture of Remarque
n.d. Notablebiographies.com. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/Pu-Ro/Remarque-Erich-Maria.html>.
"Erich Maria Remarque Born." history.com. A+E Networks, 2009. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/erich-maria-remarque-born>.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulette_Goddard - picture of paulette Goddard
http://meetville.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/page1-picture of quote
http://rebloggy.com/post/illustration-painting-graphic-design-war-fiction-ernest-hemingway-book-cover-bir/82989004319- picture of books
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyd6VvhQMyU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDUwwZLMAuc - All Quiet on the Western Front movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyd6VvhQMyU - Arc de Triomphe movie
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