all quiet on the western front

Several times in the novel, Paul and his friends mention that the war was brought about by men who are power hungry, and those longing to exert their power.  Do you think the combatants on both sides see things the same way? Are all wars brought about by petty, power-hungry nameless men? Can both sides be right about the reason for going to war, for defending their fatherland? according to paul and his friends, the war was started by power-hungry nameless men, and the fact that these men are simply using the youth for their own needs. in training for defending their fatherland, these young men are forced to relinquish their personalities, and are treated as robots, such that their only goal is to defeat the enemy in the name of their fatherland, even though they might not have been willing to kill for their nation prior to the war. this novel is quite different to most other war novels, as it highlights the horrors of war, and brings about the perspective of how these young men feel towards the authoritative figures who forced them to enter, rather than heroes who simply kill enemies.