During World War One, why the people had such an enthusiastic attitude towards the war?

Question

Why they wanted to join the army of their country enthusiasticly?
Why the people had such an attitude towards the war?

Here is some information(based on this information and own knowledge on WWI to answer the quesetion):

This is a dairy written by a British solder, George Coppard during the WWI.

Although I seldom read a newspaper, I knew about the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand at Sarajevo. News placards screamed out at every street corner, and military bands blared out their martial music in the main streets of Croydon. This was too much for me to resist, and I knew I had to enlist straight away.

I presented myself to the recruiting segeant at Mitcham Road Barracks, Croydon. There was a steady stream of men, mostly working types, queuing to enlist. The segeant asked me my age, and when told, replied, 'Clear off son. Come back tomorrow and see if you're nineteen, eh?' So I turned up again the next day and gave my age as nineteen. I attested in a batch of a dozen others
and, holding up my right hand, swore to fight for King and Country.

Answer 1

It's called Patriotism
Men & Boys considered it an honour to fight (and yes, to die) for their King & Country (freedoms, lands, women-folk etc.)
People today are too selfish and most do not consider the Country to be worth fighting for anymore as all the 'old values' are dead and everything has gone to the dogs

Answer 2

I'm doing this in school, we've looked at a few reasons.

The people who joined the war were all men, am I correct?

Well a lot of men just loved their country. Felt like they owed their will and kindness to their Royal Family- the only way to repay them is to be a great soldier and fight like they've never fought before.

A lot of men had girlfriends. They wanted to show off- be a man! To show they were strong they said they'd go to war and come back 10X healthier. I doubt many of them did though.

Although some went, some refused. They didn't want to know each day could be their last- and in most cases it often was!! Some got forced to go and even then they wouldn't fight- they'd prefer to die than kill people (GO THEM). Some people wouldn't even leave for war so they were immediately put into prison.

When the men weren't gassing the trenches out (with mustard gas in most cases.), they were given free cigerettes and in most cases the guys were all great friends.

If major injuries were made they sent the men home at say 2 o'clock in the morning- they couldn't let their country see they were loosing. This was the first ever war, and even today it is still known as 'The Modern War'.

We have World War One to thank for all this killing in Iraq, Israil, Lebanam, Afganastan and all these places there are wars- if it was still the 17th Century we would still be on horses with swords and then it doesn't hurt people who have done nothing wrong.

There is a black cross in Coventry Cathedral in England. When there has been 2 days of peace they will paint that cross white. How many years do you think it will take before they paint it?

Answer 3

I can't tell you about the British troop feeling during WW1, but I can tell you about the A.N.Z.A.C's. Australia promised Britain 20000 troops in 1914, and these were readily available. Men from all walks of life enlisted, from farmers, shearers and bushmen, to bankers, lawyers and doctors. However, the large majority of enlisters were from the working class. The Australian government promoted the war as a chance for young men to see the war, and the pay was very good, at 7d. Many of these men believed they were going to France, but instead were diverted to Egypt, and thenceforth to Gallipolli, where the realities of war became apparent, and the slaughter was in earnest. They thought they were going to fight to protect Britain, and to make Australia known to the world, but in the end, most realised the A.I.F was merely a puppet army for the British. Most of the men just wanted to go home when faced with the reality of the war.

Answer 4

Sounds greater like a memoir than a diary. Hindsight is frequently colored rosier than the events, even with the undeniable fact that there are some exciting factors there ... he admits to being youthful and ignorant, and there became a romanticism approximately conflict that led a good style of youthful adult males to enlist, interior the U. S. and in Britain. The realities of the conflict - gassing, trench conflict, illness and vermin and undesirable foodstuff and silly leaders and undesirable new weapons (device weapons and tanks and more desirable ammunition - did no longer rather strike abode with those fellows till it became a techniques too previous due. So it is going. each and every new technology refuses to check from the errors of the previous ones, and so makes an identical stupid errors.

Answer 5

I don't think that this question has anything to do with with men (and boys) and not women that went to war, because I think the women were just as enthusiastic as the men.

You have to remember that this era was completely different and people had different attitudes towards honour and justice. Perhaps most of them had no idea how hard it was going to be, that most of their comrades were to die in a few weeks, but I think they still would have gone. The British Empire was still strong and there was a kind of justice or Britishness to help those in need as good gentlemen should.

Most of the men and boys who died in W.W. 1 were of working class background. Britain was not prepared for war and many of them only had bayonets against the Germans and Austrians guns and were slaughtered. Maybe the young men and boys saw it as a manhood test to join the war, but I don't think they had any idea what they were doing, because they were just boys.

Many mistakes was done and many lives could have been spared, but thanks to those brave men and boys that gave their lives Britain is still British and I think it is important to remember that rather than why they did it.

Answer 6

They were not enthusiastic to go to war,only to defend their country. They had no idea what this meant in terms of injury and death, hardly any of them would have seen a man die from cannon or gunshot wounds prior to the war. My grandfather and his younger brother joined up to-gether. They were put in the same regiment and went to France to-gether, when the whistle blew they went over the top to-gether, running side by side to-wards the enemy. Ad midst the shouting and firing, Grandfathers` young brother fell to the ground with part of his head blown off. Can anyone imagine what that must have been like ? They had no idea what carnage they would endure.

Answer 7

A war of that magnitude had never happened before WWI. The use of guns etc. were only really being introduced and not many people knew the extent of the damage they could create. Cavalries were still being used in the first World War, that was how blinded the people were.

Answer 8

You can't imagine people being so enthusiastic about fighting for their country. I'm just the opposite, I can't imagine anyone NOT being a willing enthusiastic citizen ready to fight for his country. During World War Two we had many who lied about their age in order to join. I knew many personally.
If someone started a fist fight with you, would you just stand there and be pounded, or would you fight ?
If someone broke into your house to rob and kill, would you stand still and be slaughtered, or would you fight ?
If someone is trying to wreck your country, what would you do ? Fight ? Give up without a fight ? Anyone who is not willing to fight for what is rightly his soon will not have anything.

Answer 9

Because in those days society was still proud to be British and nothing was going to take that away, young men were happy to sign up to protect our freedom.

Today we are not even allowed to show pride in Britain lest we upset the minorities who come here 'for a better life' legally or illegally.

Answer 10

Because at that time, unlike to-day, we had One King, One Flag, One Country and, One Culture. One United Kingdom and, Proud to fight for it. In to-days unwanted multi-cultural, fragmented, PC disfunctional, alien society, all the King's horses and all the King's men, couldn't put UK back together again.