ABSTRACT
For working-class men, their view of the outside world contrasted badly with the confinement of their own lives. Some working-class men saw enlistment as an opportunity for adventure, a chance to see foreign lands, and a way to experience the world. The war promised escape and adventure. It was fought in foreign lands, against a well-known enemy. It seemed likely to end quickly. Working-class men could join and be paid for the excitement of fighting. They would get away from the confinement of their familiar world and break out to a recognized but never experienced foreign world. And, often, they could go with their friends. It was adventure in familiar company. For many, such enlistment resembled a larger version of the territorial summer camps they knew well.
