WHAT WAS TOTAL WAR?
This was war on a scale never
experienced before. It was not just
fought by professional soldiers. Most
of the troops were civilian conscripts,
called up to serve in the armed forces.
Ordinary homes in cities such as
London were bombed from the air.
Even ocean liners carrying passengers from
neutral countries came under attack. Entire national
economies were geared towards the war effort.
WHAT NEW WEAPONS WERE USED IN ACTION?
Various new technologies were available. In 1915,
the German army used poison gas for the first time
in warfare and it was soon in general use. The
British were the first to introduce the battle
tank. Submarines were now able to torpedo
enemy shipping, forcing ships to travel across
the ocean in convoys. Aircraft and airships were
used to drop bombs, spy on enemy
positions, and attack enemy pilots.
DID PEACE FOLLOW WAR?
No, in Germany there was street fighting and
starvation. In 1919, the terms of the peace were
agreed at Versailles, in France. The settlement was
harsh on Germany and this resulted in a sense of
grievance which undermined any lasting peace.An armistice is a laying down of weapons.
The guns of World War I finally fell silent
at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th
month of 1918.FIND OUT MORE. Fascism 431 • World War II 432–433
4 “THE YANKS ARE COMING!”
On a poster, “Uncle Sam” calls on
Americans to enlist in the army. Angered
by German submarine activity, the USA joined
the war in 1917. The arrival of fresh troops at this
point in the war hastened the defeat of the Germans.1 WOMEN GO TO WORK
A woman operates machinery at a munitions factory. In wartime,
women had to take on work that only men had done before. Their
proven abilities helped them to gain the vote after the war.1 A LOST GENERATION
In war cemeteries across northern France, gravestones stretch as far as
the eye can see. The war almost destroyed a whole generation. Of those
who survived, many were left blind, disabled, or suffering from shock.ARMISTICE
WILFRED OWEN
1893–1918
Many young men on both
sides of the conflict, who had
been idealists in 1914, became
horrified by the war and its
cruelty. One of them was the
English war poet Wilfred
Owen, killed just a week
before the Armistice.World War I