UNIV 3539 Blog

?People everywhere believed what their leaders told them?that they would better off after the fighting and that the soldiers would be home soon. . .Men flocked to the colors, fearing they?d miss a war that could be over by Christmas.? Keeping in mind the ?Age of Hope,? what factors explain why Europeans so readily went to war in 1914?

The war they made soon came to be known as the Great War (biggest war in history). It was unlike all previous conflicts in scope and ferocity?industrialization and technological innovation produced lethally efficient killing tools, especially artillery and machine guns. Unfortunately, leadership and training lagged far behind and the war on the Western front quickly settled into a defensive deadlock. How did the experiences of ordinary soldiers compare with their expectations? How did soldiers cope with the conditions of the front?

By the end of the conflict, at least nine million soldiers were dead. On average, 2,500 American soldiers died in every day of combat?if U.S. participation in the Great War had lasted as long as the Civil War, some three million American troops would have died. The video did not mention that at least 15 million civilians were dead as well?some estimates are substantially higher). Four great empires disappeared from history as a result of the war?the ?bright promises? of 1914 were never realized. Why did the Great War finally end? Did American troops save the day? Did the Allies truly win or did an unbeaten Germany agree to stop fighting?