nt. Remarque describes the awful conditions facing the collapsing German Army. He tells of the doctors making wounded men go back and fight along the front lines. He further goes on to tell of the starvation and sickness of the soldiers still able to fight. Remarque still believes that his side is still strong but they are simply being overwhelmed by more allies than Germany can counter against (WRW, 306-310).As the war dragged on and body count rose the soldiers on both sides started to wonder about true goals of their country. No longer was there a strong patriotic feel their side actions for a couple of reasons. One thing was the true horror of the war. Constant enemy fire and pointless trench assaults can kill the moral of the best soldier. After three years of these tactics, food and manpower started to run low. Soldiers began to lose the need to die for their country. Another aspect that led to the downfall of patriotism was the lost expectations from the beginning of the war. Most people believed that the war would come to an end quickly. Yet by the end of 1916, a trench stretched from the English Channel to the border of Switzerland. This four hundred-mile front had moved less than thirty miles in either direction for almost a year. The soldiers began to wonder if there would be a winner or even and end. These factors together eventually brought moral down which in turn brought patriotism down with them.A unique thing about World War I was the impact on the civilian population. For the first time, all of the citizens of the country were needed to do their part. Every country involved had to ration food, darken their cities at night for air raids, and called upon for selective service. These all had a direct effect on the home front. No longer could the people read that the fighting was going on away from home, they were feeling it themselves. People had to give up certain privileges to help better the war e...
