Kathe Kollwitz was a mother of a young German soldier who died in 1914, World War 1. In her war diary, she expressed human suffering and conflicted herself on the war, On patriotism, she viewed everything as obscure and questioned why only the youth went to war further, pointing out that it was the same in all countries. She also notes that people who were friends referred to each other as enemies. She questioned the motives behind the young people rush to war.
She also had contradictions of whether she joined the war for her sons' sacrifice in the war. The war witnessed a loss of over five million youths leaving the majority miserable.