UNIV 3539 Blog

Most men were so eager because at this time countries were pushing independece and "only the strongest will survive". With a new way of thinking, instead of uniting all of Europe and now becoming their own nations, men were eager to fight who they were. They were told this would be the war of the century and no one wanted to miss out.
Soldiers weren't properly trained with any of the new weapons created during the industrial revolution. Very few were actually trained properly. Also, the trenches were nothing like what they had imagined. Little food, water, excessive lice and diseases. No soldier was prepared for the living conditions they were put in.
Finally as the war came to an end, US President Woodrow Wilson proposed some 14 points that soon changed Europes map forever. American troops steped up and brought a bigger defense which helped end the war. Germany decided to quit fighting, however, they would try again at a later time...

In 1914 the world would find it's first global conflict, that would change the world as we know it forever. many people thought that the war was going to be a great thing. Many of the soilders were excitited and wanted to become heroes for their home countries. What the soldiers didnt know was that more than 9 million of them would never see their families again. The war was very harsh on the men who lived, many of the leaders didn't know how bad it was in the trenches. the leaders were launching attacks that were impossible for the troops at achieve and mnay of the men were dying because the leaders were more than ten miles away calling out orderes.the trench life was very unforgiving.Not only was it muddy and lonley, but also there was many illnesses and lack of food. In the passage a man recalls seeing a horse and then coming back to see nothing but the bones,because men were so hungry that they cut off meat to eat for dinner.

?People everywhere believed what their leaders told them?that they would better off after the fighting and that the soldiers would be home soon. . .Men flocked to the colors, fearing they?d miss a war that could be over by Christmas.? Keeping in mind the ?Age of Hope,? what factors explain why Europeans so readily went to war in 1914?

The war they made soon came to be known as the Great War (biggest war in history). It was unlike all previous conflicts in scope and ferocity?industrialization and technological innovation produced lethally efficient killing tools, especially artillery and machine guns. Unfortunately, leadership and training lagged far behind and the war on the Western front quickly settled into a defensive deadlock. How did the experiences of ordinary soldiers compare with their expectations? How did soldiers cope with the conditions of the front?

By the end of the conflict, at least nine million soldiers were dead. On average, 2,500 American soldiers died in every day of combat?if U.S. participation in the Great War had lasted as long as the Civil War, some three million American troops would have died. The video did not mention that at least 15 million civilians were dead as well?some estimates are substantially higher). Four great empires disappeared from history as a result of the war?the ?bright promises? of 1914 were never realized. Why did the Great War finally end? Did American troops save the day? Did the Allies truly win or did an unbeaten Germany agree to stop fighting?

I believe this program is called the ?Age of Hope? because so many changes took place during this century. As the text and movie stated, some people were affected by the innovation and others were not. The rich felt that this was a Beautiful Era but the poor were not as fortunate. The many living at poverty level and in underdeveloped countries were still starving and struggling to get by in life. Electricity was important in changing the future of the world. It gave light to darkness. The inventions of electrical home appliances changed the woman?s life in a way that we take for granted today. Rayon and nylon fabrics were developed which made clothes more affordable. Medical science advancements increased life expectancy. Railways, automobiles and airplanes increased communication between long distances. Radio and cinema were significant in the mass communication advances. I believe the many advances during this century far exceeded the hopes of the people. As I read about the many things invented during this time period, it is amazing that we still use a variation of these inventions.

The exhibits that mesmerized fifty million visitors to the 1900 Paris Exposition intimated a bright
future?literally as well as figuratively. From the wonders of electric lights that vanquished the
darkest of nights to the near-daily innovations that promised to revolutionize every aspect of daily life, the dawn of the twentieth century elicited a sense of optimism and hope. For a generation, the peoples of Europe had lived in peace. This period, also known as the Belle Époque (Beautiful Era), would last until 1914 when an assassination in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo plunged the continent?and eventually most of the world?into the madness of industrialized and mechanized
total war.

And yet we might wonder why ordinary people were hopeful: little had changed socially. When
the crowned heads of Europe gathered for the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1901, they carried
?the white man?s burden? of ruling three-fourths of the world?s population. Even in the world?s
great democracy, the United States, women and minorities remained second-class citizens.

Why do you think this program is called "Age of Hope"? At the turn of the century, what gave
people hope for a better future? Do you think their hopes were realized? Why or why not?