What did ww1 soldiers fight for?

Traditionally, the authorities believed – or hoped – that men would be motivated by loyalty to an idea: usually patriotism. French and Serbian soldiers were defending their homeland against invasion, while British, German and Austrian soldiers were encouraged to focus on their duty to their King or Emperor.

What was ww1 fought over?

The simplest answer is that the immediate cause was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria-Hungary. His death at the hands of Gavrilo Princip – a Serbian nationalist with ties to the secretive military group known as the Black Hand – propelled the major European military powers towards war.

How did they fight in the trenches in ww1?

After the early war of movement in the late summer of 1914, artillery and machine guns forced the armies on the Western Front to dig trenches to protect themselves. Fighting ground to a stalemate. Trenches in WWI were constructed with sandbags, wooden planks, woven sticks, tangled barbed wire or even just stinking mud.

What was it like being a soldier in WW1?

Before the soldiers knew what World War One was going to be like, they were both excited and honoured to be part of it. They were thrilled that they could serve their country, and they believed that they would be home for Christmas. Unfortunately, they soon discovered that this was not the case.

Did we take care of returning veterans after World War I?

The war created 4.7 million veterans and many suffered back on the home front. “Suicide, homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction – these things all kept happening,” Ridgway said, “and we did not take care of the returning veterans after World War I because there was so much backlash against what had been paid out to the Civil War veterans.

What were we fighting for in WW1?

Maybe we were fighting for the freedom of nations rather than individuals, for example. After all, Austria-Hungary was trying to end Serbia’s independence, and the Germans invaded France via neutral Belgium, so one could argue that we were fighting to preserve the freedom of Belgium, France, and Serbia to exist as sovereign nation states.

Why are so many veterans opposed to VA benefits?

The American public became concerned over the cost of veterans benefits and started to oppose them, Ridgway said, “and World War I veterans bore the brunt of that attitude.” The war created 4.7 million veterans and many suffered back on the home front.