Politics of All Quiet on the Western Front

Erich Maria Remarque 's All Quiet on the Western Front is without a doubt one of the most real adaptations of World War I and the effects on its participants that has ever been written. With its simple, clear cut, and to the point style of writing, it is able to capture as close to the true experience of the war as possible. Because of this, readers do not have to search through pages of fancy wording and over the top descriptions to find the reality of what Remarque is saying. War is not something to be romanticized—it is a bleak and devastating circumstance and the true experiences of the people involved should be remembered as such. Because Remarque was so blunt and open with the genuineness of these experiences, no matter how negative or shocking they may have been, All Quiet on the Western Front became an instant success and maybe more importantly an instant controversy in Europe.
Because the demand for leisure activity such as reading, watching films, etc. was skyrocketing at this time in European culture, the exposure to this book was extremely widespread, and people 's eyes were opened to a whole new side of the war. Those on the home front were not directly exposed to the fighting of World War I and its brutality, so their only impression of it came from what they were told. Until writers, artists, and others that had been involved in the fighting began to share the reality of their experiences, Europeans received only the romanticized version of the war from their leaders and others who benefited from this one sided version of the story being told. In turn, while people all over the world flocked to stores to buy this book, it had many Europeans in an uproar about the way they were portrayed. All Quiet on the Western Front indeed carried many political implications that may or may not have been intended by Remarque.
A recurring theme throughout the book is the danger and even hypocrisy often caused by blind nationalism. It was particularly