August 1914 one of the most historic events in history began. This was the beginning of the First World War, a war that had never been seen before. It involved every major European nation as well as North America and Japan. There was nothing that could have prepared the world for this war it changed the lives of millions of people across the globe. It had a profound impact in all aspects of life for anyone involved. The sheer cost for a nation involved was huge and it had a negative impact on living conditions by the end of the war. Women became much more important during this time because they stepped away from traditionally female roles in society to fill in for men in the workforce. Men went of to fight on the frontlines and live in the trenches where conditions were less than favorable. Even after the end of the war the dramatic effect it had on people reshaped many aspects life. These are just a few of the drastic changes that occurred during this period of time.
The War was made out to be a glorious event and many young men enlisted exactly for this reason but reality set in with the invention of a new type of warfare, Trench Warfare. In pre war Europe Romanticism and nationalistic ideas glorified the cause for war1. The war was something new and exciting and many looked forward to it. The idea of war swept up millions of people who never knew what they were in for. The first battles of the war were fought as encounters had been fought before. Infantrymen with bayonets, flags flying, drums sounding led by officers in full dress. With the invention of new weapons such as the machine gun and long range-artillery these battles resulted in huge numbers of casualties. To avoid the firepower of these new weapons soldiers dug trenches and within a few months the two sides had dug 466 miles of trenches opposineach other and so began life in the trenches2. There have been many accountants of life on the Frontline many great artists and writers depicted the conditions of living on the frontline.