In the Footsteps of the Great War - Volume 1

Throughout history, each war has had its own name. Except for what this book is about. It was called with great simplicity: the Great War. The name well reflects its dimensions, which surpassed all previous ones. By 1914, the Industrial Revolution and the demographic explosion had made it possible for the warring parties to send armies of unprecedented size and equipment to the battlefields and provide them with supplies for as long as possible. The Great War became the first worldwide conflict in history, involving the deployment of a submarine, tank, airship, fighter jet, bomb, and chemical weapon, spanning all five continents and fought simultaneously on land, sea, and air, in deserts, and between snowy mountain peaks. The countries that broke out World War II predicted that this would be the last war in Europe, and by Christmas 1914 it would be over, consolidating the world order of the colonial monarchies. However, the reality has been completely different. The war, which proved to be a military catastrophe, eventually lasted fifty-two months, killing more British, Bulgarian, French, Hungarian, Italian, Austrian and Turkish soldiers than any other conflict in history. It changed the world forever and paved the way for the 20th century: it brought the twilight of the British and French colonial empires; created new independent states such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland or Poland; ended the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the German, Russian and Ottoman Empires; helped the United States into a world power position; and brought to life the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Greater Romania, and the new states of the transforming Middle East. The main consequence was the brutal competition between capitalism, fascism and communism in the 1920s, which was embedded in an even more devastating world - wide conflict. In light of these huge changes, it is no wonder that a hundred years later the Great War — or as it was later called: the legacy of the First World War is still part of our daily lives today. That is why it is important to know the events of 1914-1918. All the more so because understanding the causes, circumstances, and consequences of World War I will help you avoid World War III.