In the history of modern Western civilization, there have been few episodes of war, famine, and other calamities that have severely affected modern European society. World War I was one such incident that served as a reflection of modern European society in its industrial age, altering humanity's perception of war to catastrophic levels of carnage and violence. As a transition to modern warfare, the experiences of the Great War were entirely new and unfamiliar. In this anomalous environment, numerous first-hand accounts have emerged detailing the events and experiences of the authors. For example, both the works of Ernst Junger and Erich Maria Remarque emphasize to some extent the frightening and inhuman nature of war – more explicit in Jünger's than in Remarque's – but the sense of glorification, heroism and nationalism in Jünger's Storm of Steel is absent in Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front. Instead, they are replaced by the psychological damage caused by war: the internalization of loss and pain, combined with a sense of helplessness and disconnection with the past and future. As such, Jünger's and Remarque's accounts reveal the similar experiences of extreme violence and danger of the First World War shared by the soldiers, but draw from their experiences different ideologies and perceptions of war. The First World War is characterized by its extraordinary brutality and violence due to the technological progress of the late 18th century and early 19th century which made killing easier, more methodical and inhumane. It was a war that saw the transition from traditional warfare to "modern" warfare. The Calvary charges were replaced with tanks; swords were replaced with machine guns; strategic and decisive battles were r… the center of the paper… machinery – such as machine guns, tanks and airplanes – appears to have had the greatest impact. On the other hand, psychological damage – such as feelings of abandonment, disconnection and disillusionment – ​​seemed to be the crux of Remarque's experience. However, both highlight the enormous amount of carnage and violence that the human race has never seen before. As such, they both highlight the futility of human life, caused by technological progress in modern European society. In studying these two texts, one must be able to carefully distinguish the subtleties of the authors' lessons as well as be able to perceive the larger picture in which the story is set. However, it is critical to understand how these lessons arise from their experiences and understand the deeper meaning of their lessons placed in historical context..