I thought the Modris Eckstein excerpt was especially interesting because it addresses the new atrocities of modern warfare that were introduced during the first stage of the war. Eckstein then further proposes that these "advancements" (for lack of a better term) were the product of the "revolutionary" ideology prevalent in Germany prior to and during the war.
According to Eckstein, Germany was the first to make effective use of trench warfare, gaseous warfare, the flamethrower, its infamous U-boat warfare, and the concept of Schreklichkeit (though it could be argued that the British were just as inhumane towards civilians during the Boer War), and, in so doing, drastically elevated modern warfare into what many critics claimed to be an inhumane level. By 1916, British and French troops were also utilizing gases and flamethrowers (though the latter was not used to the extent) and had successfully adopted strategies of defense (which appeared to be, for obvious reasons, more successful then attempting to storm across "no man's land" to break enemy lines).
However, it is important to note that these strategies that revolutionized the way future conflicts would be fought also appeared to have had negative effects on the German war effort. On the international level, many denounced the use of the unnecessarily viscious flamethrowers, and opposed the notion that gases were more humane than traditional weapons, but, more importantly, the "Rape of Belgium" was a rallying cry for the British, as was the Lusitania for the United States. It could be argued that Germany's "total war" tactics were most effective in losing Germany the war.
The vivid decriptions in this excerpt also jolted my memory to the many artists who were influenced by the atrocities of trench warfare. T.S. Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Henry James, and others are going to be greatly affected by the experiences and descriptions of World War I. T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men" is going to directly pertain to the Great War, but all of these individuals are going to deal with a question that begins to develop prior to the war, but rises to its zenith after conflict has ended and the barbarities have been observed: where is man's place in the modern world? This "modern dillemma" is going to greatly influence the arts, and go so far as to force many citizens (the Lost Generation) to become willing expatriates. Though World War I inspired many of these thinkers and artists in future endeavors, I would like to hear opinions on to what extent the war influenced the modern movement in the arts.
