Chapter 8: The Consequences Of War

A main focus of the beginning of chapter eight has been on developing peace within Europe. War has been away for countries to display their power in the world through their military without considering the fatal consequences had on the families in other countries. . “Bourgeois morality often saw war not as a tragedy or even as a necessary evil, but as a healthy, invigorating mechanism of historical progress” (Blom 191). One step to end war and create peace was a peace conference in which none of the countries invited were interested in decreasing their military involvement in fear of being attacked. Having a strict code for how to act in society had been popularly decreasing. For example, the Boy Scouts was an organization that emphasized discipline order, but those who like to call themselves prophets Believe in roaming free and escaping strict guidelines and constraints (Blom 202-203).

In Europe there was excessive anti-Semitism, and Jews were used as a scapegoat when anything went wrong. Jewish people moved away from society and re-discovered their culture through literature and discussions. Society’s reaction against this movement showed the opposition to a change in culture that would

have accepted Jews. Society refused to accept that women were able to move outside of their household role and have influence in the world. Madame Blavatsky disappeared from her husband and traveled for 10 years, experiencing different ideals and cultures. She claimed science “was simply too limited a way of seeing the world, as it excluded the reality of the spirit world (Blom 210). The spiritualists that left their homes to experience a more spiritual life had very similar ideas to Madame Blavatsky, in order to see the world, we must step away from confined spaces in science and open our minds to new ideas. Homosexuality was considered a crime in Europe, changing society’s belief on the role of woman and the ideas of different beliefs also connected with homosexuality. In order for society to be able to accept different ideas and beliefs, beliefs must not be hidden but instead shown so others get accustomed to it.
The woman suffrage movement was similar to spiritualists who wanted to move away from societal values to be accepted. But rather than traveling to different cities to broaden their world the woman suffrage movement focused on changing the society in which they live in using violent means. Prime Minister Asquith of Britain do not believe that women were interested in politics because of their social and domestic life, even though many women were asking for the right to vote. The idea of masculinity has decreased because men were no longer needed from manpower due to women working in tile factories for income. Even with the right to work and have an income women and men were still not equal. When a man got home from work he would demand for food to be at the table, but when a woman got home she still had the burden of household chores (Blom 222).
The only way women believe they would bring attention to their needs to protesting, violence and violent protesting.

Throwing rocks at Parliament, and just disrupting Parliament meetings caused many woman to end up in jail for disorderly content. The police manhandling women being arrested and the enforcement of tubes down women’s throat in jail has caused the attention of the public and increased the movement of suffragist (Blom 228). However, women in Germany we’re not as successful, as women Britain, in their movements to be equal in society. Some women where looked down upon and called whores by men and told to learn moral purity, but theses where the same men who sexualize women’s bodies and have sexual intercourse with prostitutes disregarding their health (Blom

241).
In conclusion, women suffragists and spiritualists have similarities because both groups acted against society and through their actions changed the way other think. However, women were violent and persistent in changing the society that casted the out and spiritualists left society to only return and continue to be free-minded regardless of what others had to say.