Twenty-nine million casualties and eight and a half million dead was the final tally of the four-year conflict known as the Great War. Dubbed World War I, the clash between the Allies and the Central Powers affected almost every region of the globe. The war was sparked by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. Because the perpetrators, a terrorist group called the Black Hand, were in neighboring Serbia, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy sent the Serbs a list of uncompromising demands. The Serbs accepted all but one agreement, so Austria-Hungary, with German support, declared war on Serbia. Although each country that subsequently joined was motivated by different causes, the soldiers who fought for each side suffered equally. The life of a German soldier is told in the fictional novel All Quiet on the Western Front. Paul Baumer, an eighteen-year-old student, is persuaded to join the German forces by his teacher Kantorek, along with the rest of his classmates. In the trenches, Paul learns that life as a soldier is much more dangerous than the adults had mentioned, as they were in constant danger of death, even while in the hands of their doctors. Millions of people suffered as a direct result of the Great War, but the reasons why this conflict broke out are few and far between. Although many countries joined World War I due to nationalism, alliances, and militarism, the suffering endured by the soldiers, depicted in Erich Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, is not justified by the causes of this war. during the battles of the First World War were not justified by the desire of the general population to pro...... middle of paper ...... may have triggered the outbreak of the Great War, but the high losses and suffering of soldiers, as seen in Erich Stratégie's All Quiet on the Western Front, will never be justified by the reasons for war. Conflicts between countries are inevitable, as there are a multitude of differences between all cultures and nationalities. Despite this, there are few reasons why a country has the right to go to war. If there is a dispute between countries, it is usually not big enough for multiple nations to wage all-out war against each other. War causes enormous loss of life, and no successful cause can fully justify the amount of ambition, memories, knowledge, and futures that can be lost in the process. Works CitedNote, Erich Maria. All is calm on the Western Front. Trans. Arthur Wesley Wheen. 1958. New York: The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1982. Print.