World
War I was the deadliest war ever fought until
that
time. At first, it was believed by many that it would
not
last even a couple months, if not weeks. But the war
raged
for four brutal years, from July 28, 1914 to November
11,
1918. A complicated system of alliances dragged twenty-
eight
countries into the war, and the number of troops killed
amounted
to nearly ten million. And even though World
War
I will never be forgotten, there was a second war going
on
at that time that is less well-known -- the war of women.
Even
before that time, women had been fighting for
their
rights. But World War I gave them the chance to show
that
they were equal. Because so many men enlisted to fight,
there
were not enough workers to produce the goods needed
for
the war. So millions of women filled in for male workers. There was even
a women's police force. This showed that
they
could do what men could. In addition, it showed they
were
willing to help their country in the war.
Although
some people began to believe in women's
equality,
most of the jobs women had done were filled by
men
after the war ended. But their hard work was not in
vain--in
1920, the 19th Amendment was approved, giving
women
in the U.S. the right to vote. Other countries around
the
globe soon followed their example.
There was also a second part
of the women's war going
on.
It was the war of the female medical staff that cared for
injured
soldiers behind the lines. But this part of the war
was
more for the country than for women. By keeping more
soldiers
alive, it gave their country a better chance of
winning.
The role that women played in
World War I should be
remembered
along with the events of the war itself. It was
they
who kept the countries running at home and kept
soldiers
from dying. So it is they that should be remembered.
