Gone Is The Euphoria Analysis

World War I altered the lives of millions of people in one way or another, even if they were not fighting on the front lines. The citizens of European countries involved in the war saw and felt the economic, social, and political repercussions of war. The war was started due to militarism, an entangled web of alliances, strong senses of nationalism, imperialism, and the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In the early years of the war, the battles were glorified throughout most of Europe, while in the later years of the war, the people at home were tried of the negative effects of the war consuming their own lives; throughout Russia, however, there was a negative rhetoric from the beginning of the war. Europe was war-hungry

Money was tight, as governments were strengthening their hold on the economies of their countries in order to ration products and money itself. Governments were responsible for feeding their armies and sometimes even their allies’ armies and people, which resulted in strict regulations of food and materials. Many times, people would “go home with empty hands and still emptier stomachs” after waiting in line to receive food from their government (Document 6). One German author wrote: “Gone is the euphoria” and there is “misery and despair everywhere,” (Document 7). This document, however, was written by a socialist, which means that the author’s opinion of war is very biased, as socialists are generally against war; at the time, they believed that war was a consequence of capitalism. Gone was the giddiness and glory of war; the gruesome and arduous realities had taken over the minds and lives of those on the home

The Russians lost a lot of pride, money, and people in the Russo-Japanese war several years before the Great War; this event caused the Russian citizens to be more wary of war, as some of them did not think their nation would be able to withstand war. This indecision caused conflict within Russia; some supported war, while some did not. Russians revolted, and civil war ensued. “Disturbances in Moscow ended in bloodshed,” stated one Russian Minister. These were the words spoken at a meeting with the tsar, which shows how prominent the Russian citizens were about withdrawing from the war; this issue was so important that Nicholas II had to be aware of it. As the war was fought, support for the war effort in Russia decreased. However, the government wanted to continue the fight. This caused a revolutionary leader, Vladimir Lenin, to step up and be the people’s voice. He rose to power with the slogan “Peace, Land, Bread,” which appealed to all of the people on the Russian home front. Lenin and his policies appealed to the people because he presented “the offer of peace, the salvation of Petrograd, salvation from famine, the transfer of the land to the peasants,” (Document 8). Lenin was the answer to the Russian citizens’ prayers, and, as seen by this excerpt from one of his speeches, embodied the beliefs of the Russians at the