Hardships In Ww1

In the beginning, the common belief was the war would be over by Christmas and people believed their side would win. Because of these beliefs, many young men enlisted in the war, yet once they experienced war, their optimism quickly diminished. Meanwhile, the common people remained positive because they didn’t comprehend the true terrors of the war. Although the citizens faced many hardships similar to the soldiers, the overall effects were significantly different than the soldiers because they did not face the same struggles and were not directly influenced to the same extent.
The primary differences between the civilians and the soldiers were the views about the war and the different roles each component of society had to fill. When the soldiers left, the
Because the war was a “total war”, all the necessary materials were given to the war efforts, so there was a shortage of food. When the soldiers went into one French town, there was such a shortage of food that “most of the women and girls [were] thin, scraggy objects” (Harrison 44). Similarly, the soldiers suffered from a lack of food and the struggle to eat lead to soldiers “fight among [them]selves” (Harrison 49). The lack of food on both the home front and the battle front caused tension within the citizens and soldiers alike. Likewise, both groups of people were influenced by government propaganda to keep them invested and supportive of the war. For example, before a battle, soldiers were told of a German submarine that sunk a hospital ship, and that would make them motivated to avenge their countrymen. This tactic was also used to keep support at the home front. Government posters were created to encourage women and young people to take jobs, save food, and create hatred toward the