The First World War

The First World War was the first modern war, fought with such technological advances as aircraft and more potent gunpower. There were many social aspects which contributed to the course of the war on the front lines, and which affected the way the war was viewed at home. Class relations, women’s new and changing roles, and race were all major contributors.
One of the strongest social forces that affected almost every aspect of the war both at home and on the battlefield was class. With regard to the military there were grave differences in the life of an officer and the life of a soldier. Officers were from the public school upper class. They made decisions which killed thousands of troops unnecessarily. The officers enjoyed good meals, quarters, ample leave, pay and conditions, whereas soldiers endured grossly inadequate accommodation in the trenches, even suffering from lice, dysentery, malaria, tetanus and gangrene to name a few. The trenches were filled with mice a...