I mean war always has been a part of our life since the first civilizations was established. I’m sure “shellshock” wasn’t only caused by artilery shots.
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People have written about soldiers carrying trauma from war since classical times, but WWI was fundamentally different.
For most of history, war meant long periods of walking, lots of time spent in a camp, and then relatively brief battles. An army might spend weeks or more marching to a battle that was over in a day, and they’d be mostly safe on the march and in camp. That last part is crucial.
In WWI, soldiers are spending weeks, months on the front line with danger that never goes away Artillery *constantly* pounding, preventing you from even sleeping. You aren’t safe in your own bed. You aren’t safe eating breakfast. It’s a state of prolonged danger, with no chance to let your guard down and recover mentally. War wasn’t a few isolated battles – the battle was at all times, without end, for 5 years.
Being rotated off the front helped, but only once they realized people would mentally and physically break if they didn’t. And people still broke.
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