Women in World War I

While prior to the war, women were given the sole responsibility to take care of the household, the role of women changed dramatically during World War I. With Britain in a state of total war, all members of society had their own job to do. With all able-bodied men shipped off to war, women “manned factories, invested in war bonds, harvested crops, and cared for troops on leave.” At the factories, women took on highly dangerous jobs in munitions. While multiple women died from the process, the skin of the other women turned yellow, providing them with the nickname of canaries. The jobs, however, were well paying and provided women with an opportunity for independence. Marriage was no longer mandatory for a woman as she could now financially survive without a husband. Jobs saved for women once included nurses, maids, or teachers. With the war, however, many recognized the great work the women accomplished in “men’s jobs,” and the opportunities for a woman broadened immensely. Along with higher wages, working conditions improved and women’s unions were formed.

Although women relished in their new-found freedom, “the pressures of employment,combined with the need to perform housework in straitened circumstances and the inadequacy of social services exacted a heavy toll.” Additional problems arose for the working women when the men returned from the war and unemployment soared, forcing many women out of a job.

Even though the women made great gains in equality following World War I, which included suffrage in many European countries, many European households fell back to their normal routine. True gender equality would not be reached for several decades.

Sources: Women and the Military during World War One
Women on the Home Front in World War One

American Politics in Britain

On my third night in London, I sat in a pub with my roommates, talking with a British man and an Australian woman about the recent American election. Instead of discussing the bare minimum on the candidates, we got into a deep discussion about the candidates’ policies, their running mates, and other American political figure heads. The amount of information they knew about America was astounding! I was extremely embarrassed to be sitting there, as I did not even know the head of Australia’s government.

This situation was just one of the many times that a Brit has quizzed me on American politics. On the day of Obama’s inauguration, I was questioned by a worker at Madame Tussauds on my opinions about the soon-to-be president. Walking down Oxford Street one day when I stopped to ask for directions, a foreign-born Brit lectured me on Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy.

This past week as I sat talking with two British guys at a pub, the subject came around once again to American politics. We chatted about the election for a good twenty minutes, but the part that struck me most about this conversation was when one of the guys explained the importance of this election to the British. He explained that America was in essence electing the guy who would rule the entire world, because America has such great influence.

According to political analyst Robin Sheppard, America's future is of great important to the British. "It is Britain's closest ally and looks like it will continue to be, so there is firstly that on the broadly emotional grounds, secondly America is the most powerful country in the world so anything that America does, at least in the next few years, will have a tremendous effect on Britain. So economically, as well as socially and politically we are linked," he said.

This great influence that America has on the everyday life for the British perplexed me at first. As an economics major, however, I was better able to understand this idea in terms of the global economy. Since the world has become more globalized, the economies of foreign nations have become dependent upon each other. With one of the largest and most dependable economies, the United States has the power to control prices, interest rates, trade barriers, and much more. Exchange rates are a prime example of how the American economy directly affects the average Brit. With the majority of the world in the middle of a recession, the United States is viewed as a safe haven. Although the United States’ economy is struggling along with everyone else, investors know that in the long-run, America has the greatest chance of enduring. One need only look at the recent trend in exchange rates to view this. While only a year ago, it took $2 to buy one British pound, the exchange rate has recently fluctuated to around $1.44 equaling one pound. British money has become less valuable, making it more expensive for the Brits to buy goods from abroad.

America’s influence on the life of a European stretches far beyond the political and economic spectrum, reaching into the area of food and entertainment. Fast food restaurants such as McDonalds and Burger King line the streets of European cities as much as in America. The movies at a London cinema are nearly identical to those in St. Louis, and the celebrities flocking the magazine covers in the two cities are also very similar. While countries attempt to cling closely to their individuality, it is hard to ignore the current convergence of cultures.

The US election: Is it Europe's concern?
This link offers readers to post their thoughts on the 2000 US Election a few days before it occured but provides great insight into the average European's view on whether American politics are important for those across the ocean.

Islam in Britain

On Wednesday, January 28, I visited a mosque for a field trip, providing me with a better glimpse into the life of a British Muslim. London is an extremely diverse area, which is apparent just by walking down the street and seeing the many ethnic restaurants. Because of this diversity, it is easier for minorities to assimilate into society. Our tour guide affirmed that it is easier to be a Muslim in London than other cities because there is a more general openness from the British. This openness has, however, changed since the 2005 London bombings. Following the bombings, the Muslims were targets of ridicule from the Londoners. In our first British Life and Culture lecture, Dr. Wendy Stokes discussed the uneasiness the British felt towards the Muslims after the bombings, explaining that two Sikh men posted flyers of “What a Sikh Looks Life” so they would not be placed into the category of possible terrorists along with the Muslims. Although our tour guide explained that the British are more open-minded towards the Muslims, stares from fellow Londoners are still a part of everyday life. His ability to simply shrug off these occurrences would be extremely difficult, yet he has so much confidence in his faith that other’s opinions have no impact upon him.

Simply being in the mosque and witnessing one of their five daily prayers provided me with great insight into the role that being a Muslim plays in one’s daily life and culture. For Muslims, Islam is not simply a religion, but rather a way of life. Worshipping Allah is not simply praying five times a day, but rather "everything one says or does for the pleasure of Allah. This, of course, includes rituals as well as beliefs, social activities, and personal contributions to the welfare of one's fellow human-beings."

The men who worshipped at the mosque did so with such great sincerity that I could easily view the dedication that they had for their faith. Five times a day, the Muslims set aside time for God, and throw themselves whole-heartedly into the worship. Although one can worship wherever he is, it is recommended that prayer is done at the mosque, because community is of great importance to Muslims. Along with the help that praying with others adds to one’s spiritual life, the mosque is also central to a Muslim's social life. Before and after prayer is a time for socializing. Although we arrived 30 minutes prior to prayer, there were already men sitting in the mosque chatting. The mosque is also central for family and community activities.

This trip to the mosque showed me the importance of the mosque for both the religious and cultural aspects for Muslim life. It is not only a place of prayer, but also to bring the community together.

Source: The Concept of Worship in Islam

World War I: the Soldier's Experience

Does it Matter?

By: Siegfried Sassoon

Does it matter?—losing your legs?...
For people will always be kind,
And you need not show that you mind
When the others come in after hunting
To gobble their muffins and eggs.

Does it matter?—losing your sight?...
There’s such splendid work for the blind;
And people will always be kind,
As you sit on the terrace remembering
And turning your face to the light.

Do they matter?—those dreams from the pit?...
You can drink and forget and be glad,
And people won’t say that you’re mad;
For they’ll know you’ve fought for your country
And no one will worry a bit.


In the above poem by soldier and poet Siegfried Sassoon, Sassoon touches on many problems that plagued the soldiers upon their return home. His question of “does it matter” echoed throughout the poem is his way of asking whether fighting in the war was justification for suffering these tragedies. Although Sassoon, a known opponent of the war, does not answer the question, his previous writings and anti-war declaration explain his belief that the war was an unnecessary massacre of lives.

The first stanza discusses the inability for soldiers to fit into society following their return from war. In a more apparent sense, the injured soldiers are physically unable to take part in society. In a more subtle way, the soldiers are emotionally unable to find a place in society because their past four years contain horrific experiences that are unfathomable for those back at home.

In the final stanza, Sassoon discusses society’s response to the soldiers’ long-term problems. The soldiers have these horrible memories, yet society shrugs off their emotional problems. The line “people won’t say that you’re mad” is Sassoon’s attempt to explain society’s opinion that soldiers' emotional issues is not something to be worried about, simply a part of fighting for your country. If the soldiers repress the memories, they will heal on their own with time and alcohol.

Through this poem, Sassoon is demonstrating the ignorance of the British and their inability to help the soldiers. Many soldiers suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their experiences on the fighting front; however, very few back at home recognized this as an illness. Dr. William Rivers was one of the first to treat the symptoms of this disorder, but other doctors saw emotional problems as curable with physical treatment. Dr. Yealland, for example, treated soldiers with shock therapy for problems such as paralysis. Yealland and many others provided a cure for only the top layer of the soldiers’ illnesses, ignoring the underlying problem. The war doctors and the other British on the home front did not personally experience the horrors of war and were therefore unable to provide the soldiers with long-term relief. As explained by the soldiers at the Imperial War Museum, the nightmare of war stayed with them for decades.

Secularization in Europe

Last weekend, I attended an Anglican church with my Religion and Violence class. It was an old church in northern London built in the 1100s. The church was beautiful and still in great shape! Two weekends ago, I attended a Catholic mass in Kensington. The orders of the two services were extremely similar, as Church of England was born out of Catholicism. The churches, however, were strikingly different, which brought up many questions for me to ask.


The congregation at the Catholic Church was mostly of Filipino descent. It was a holy day in the Philippines, so the homily was geared towards their customs. The priest remarked how dedicated the Filipinos were to their faith along with how active they were in the church.


The congregation at the Anglican Church was mostly English. There was a baptism during that mass, making me convinced that I am destined to only attend the longer services! The main difference I noticed however was not the changes to the mass itself, but rather the congregation. Looking at numbers alone, the Catholic Church was completely packed, while the tiny Anglican Church was only partially full. Additionally, while the Catholic Filipinos performed the different parts of the mass like clockwork, the Anglicans fumbled greatly with the service. Half of the congregation stood while the rest stayed seated, looking very confused, and kneeling never even happened. This major difference in the two churches made me question greatly the dedication that different cultures have towards religion. As I only went to one service at each church, my judgments may not, however, be completely accurate.


During our first British Life and Culture lecture, Dr. Wendy Stokes explained that Western Europe has become increasingly secular. According to Stokes, Sunday is for shopping. While the majority of British will check Church of England on their census card, a very small majority attend a religious service on a regular basis. The United Kingdom has the lowest percentage of citizens attend religious services on a regular basis for an industrialized country while the United States has the highest.


In my Religion and Violence class, we have been reading various articles on the secularization of societies. Many experts believed that religion would become obsolete as countries modernized, yet research shows that the opposite has occurred, with the exception being Western Europe. While religion provides many with a sense of stability and identity, in Western Europe religion is drilled into one at birth and is simply taken for granted. This is different in the United States and other countries where there is not a national religion.


Over the past three decades, Western Europe has become increasingly secular, making one question which aspect of the European society made this change occur. In various articles that I read, multiple reasons were listed as the catalysts for this shift. According to Austin Cline in his article Religion in Europe, the wars and tumultuous governments of the 20th century played a decisive role. “Disillusionment over established political institutions has translated into disillusionment over religious institutions as well.” If one cannot rely upon governments that are supposed to be working for the good of the country, trust in all aspects of life is often lost. An additional cause that was cited in numerous articles was the increase in political stability that occurred in the second half of the 20th century. According to Ronald Inglehard in the article Christianity Recedes in Europe – Is America Next?, religion provides one with stability, a sense of certainty, because its core beliefs never change. "For most of history, people have been on the borderline of survival," he explains. "That's changed dramatically. Survival is certain for almost everyone (in the West). So one of the reasons people are drawn to religion has eroded."


The reasons for the secularization of Europe will vary depending upon each person’s individual case, but one cannot ignore the trend that Europe’s culture is shifting towards.