British Troops on the Western Front (World War I)

As with most wars, especially World War I which was on such a global scale, there is an us versus them mentality clearly established. WWI was cemented as a great global conflict between the Allied Powers (France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, U.S.) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria). Each of these sides characterized the other as the ultimate enemy, leading to an immense number of casualties. The characterization of opposing sides as an enemy, or an “other,” dehumanizes them and led the soldiers to do whatever it took to win.

"The British Army on the Western Front, 1914-1918" by Imperial War Museums is licensed under Public Domain