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All Quiet On The Western Front Patriotism Analysis

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To what extent does Erich Maria Remarque reject ideas of patriotism in All quiet on the Western Front?
In his novel All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Remarque presents his own negative views towards patriotism through his characters thoughts and interactions. The author explores the ways in which attitudes towards patriotism changes between characters both away from and on the front lines; in doing so, Remarque critiques the nationalism found in Germany during the First World War. A key theme of All Quiet on the Western Front is the idea of a 'lost generation ' of youth. This is used to enact sympathy from the reader and to call into question the prioritisation of patriotism over the lives of the soldiers. Alongside this, Erich Maria Remarque uses the Marxist view of solidarity between enemy and ally soldiers and points out the lack of difference between the two. He accuses those in power of abusing this and forcing the conflict to be fought out between the lower classes. With this in mind, the author shows the pointlessness and falsehood of patriotism during the First World War.
The most prominent theme in Remarque 's novel is the idea of a 'lost generation ' of youth. The rejection of patriotism is most noticeably found through this as the author makes clear the cruelty in prioritising patriotism and nationalism over the lives of the young soldiers fighting. The author uses the physical and mental degradation of the soldiers to impact the reader on the human cost of

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