From the moment this research paper was mentioned, I knew I wanted to do something with World War I. As a fervent bio major with little to no interest in general history, let alone war, World War I has fascinated me since I first cracked open my 9th grade history textbook to the WWI chapter.
Studying WWI for almost a full year in my Academic Decathlon team piqued my interest in the war and it's effects. Nations acted brashly on their underlying rivalries with each other, men volunteered with nationalist pride under their belts, unknowing of the horrors of war, and America prospered while Germany declined. Before learning about WWI, there were only winners and losers; but WWI and its effects had a fuzzier definition of winning and losing, especially in society.
As a result, there were many men and women who felt the aftermath of the war. Initially fueled by nationalism and the idea that wars beforehand were short and winnable, men came home disillusioned with a need to add meaning to their lives. This can be seen in Ernest Hemingway's post WWI novel, The Sun Also Rises. For my research paper, I will look into the disillusionment of men and women post WWI and how their outlook on life changed the literary and political outlook of the future.
