of survivorship, emotions, thoughts, and other intimate details to loved ones. Letters first and foremost enabled the soldiers to communicate to their wives and family that they were still alive and that the war had not claimed their life. However, this connection allowed the exchange of details regarding the day to day activities of a soldier and in the case of Paul and Marie, the farming peasantry.
This is important because it brought the fronts closer together by informing each party of the conditions experienced by their loved one. As the war progressed, the massive transfer of information regarding location, troop movements, living conditions, and state of morale communicated to the home front made it difficult for army censors to contain information. This is important because it showcases the large scale in which soldiers wrote about crucial details in their deployment against the behest of the censors. Naturally the correspondence of couples like Paul and Marie saw the expression of deep and intimate feelings to their partner because spoken conversations were far and few in between(Hanna, 243-244). This is important because it enabled couples to feel closer to their partner in spite of the large distance that separated them. In the case of Paul and Marie, each of them tried to write a letter each day to keep in as close contact as possible to minimize the misery of separation(Hanna, 29). The letters also inspired hope to the soldiers that received them by reminding them of their loved ones back home
that still counted on their defense to be spared of the bloodshed of WWI. Packages helped further foster this connection by transporting local delicacies and money to soldiers who appreciated this small link to their home. Maintaining faith in their marriage and raising children were just two complex issues that couples had to manage through their letters. In addition the letters functioned as an escape from the hardships of war and hard labor allowing couples to indulge in the details of the home and war fronts. For Paul and Marie, receiving a letter made the harsh realities of war more bearable instilling hope for a future after the war. Economically, the war brought challenging economic conditions to both fronts which inherently tied them closer together. The deployment of rural France’s male labor force to the front brought economic hardship to the home front as traditional heavy duty farm work was now the responsibility of the elderly and women. This combined with the requisition of cattle and mules for the war effort created a large amount of strain on women particularly to deliver crop yields that men had overseen previously. As the war dragged on however, this proved to be impossible as crop yields grew lower each year of the war creating fear particular in the minds of soldiers that their families would soon deal with famine. In addition, soldiers became increasingly concerned about the wellbeing of their women and elderly performing such strenuous work in their absence. As food worries grew, France instituted a bread consumption limit to 300 grams to ensure adequate resources for its population which is met with bitter resentment from the peasantry at the home and war fronts(Hanna, 248). Alongside this change however, France enabled agricultural leave for men on the war front to return to their farm and help for a week on the fields. This is important because it enabled the war front to compensate partially for the losses incurred on the home front as a result of the war. Another policy instituted to help the struggling peasantry was the creation of military allowances in the amount of one franc twenty five every day as long as the main breadwinner of the house was at war(Hanna, 53). This shows that the French government knew the importance in maintaining the home front while the war front raged on. In spite of all this hardship, gifts of all sorts including money and warmer clothing were sent to the troops to grant them greater economic freedom. This relationship was even reversed in one particular case where a soldier took on extra work to send money to his struggling family back home(Hanna, 246). Other economic hardships endured as a result of the war included a variety of shortages and fluctuating prices that caused much concern particularly for soldiers worried about their families. The dual nature of the war and the challenges it presented linked both the home and war fronts very closely spurred on by the practice of letter writing. The social correspondence between the fronts enabled families and couples to not only know the present condition of their soldier but also express intimate feelings and details about life on both fronts. The economic burden of the war further links the two fronts by allowing each side to stabilize the other through money and labor. Undoubtedly, the two fronts acted independently of each other from time to time, but the great degree to which the two fronts supported each other in their endeavors whole-heartedly like two sides of the same sword, tramples any assertion of complete independence and reinforces the strength of their connection.