Contains chapters on the history of the war, weapons and tactics, individual assessments of the warring nations, biographies of the leading figures, and sources of more information.

Provides a unique, single-vol. ref. source on the armies, battles, weapons and leaders of the first great war that shook Europe and the World during the 20th cent. It presents in encyclopedic detail a wide range of info., facilitating rapid access to the essential facts and figures of WW1. Chapters: causes of WW1; a historical section which charts the progress of the war, year by year and with clear, informative maps of important battles and offensives; a detailed chronology of the war years; a record of the weapons and tactics of the war; and info. on every combatant nation; glossary, colloquialisms and obscurities; and more than 250 contemporary photos and engravings.

Empires, Soldiers, and Citizens 2/e offers a vivid range of eyewitness perspectives - from female munitions workers to Indian troops in France - which explore the social, cultural, and military dimensions of World War I. This second edition includes added material to reflect the very latest historical thinking. Combines documents and themes that have proven successful in the first edition with new sources and topics that are currently at the forefront of historical debate and research Now features 59 new documents which illustrate the imperial dimensions of the conflict and broaden the coverage of 'war culture' and developments in Eastern Europe Documents have been included which pay particular attention to the experiences and perspectives of ordinary people, whose voices are often underrepresented in broad accounts The bibliography has been expanded and completely updated, complemented by a new series of maps and illustrations

Using original documents from the U.S. Army Military History Institute (including extracts from letters and diaries of serving soldiers, as well as from official reports and papers), this book recalls the experiences of Americans who fought in the First World War. Individual chapters cover different periods, from Enlistment to Victory, in a chronological fashion. The book also features topics such as weaponry, medical services and entertainment.

A history of World War I that includes time lines, maps, pictures, and primary source material.

Designed to offer students a wide range of primary source documents on topics of major significance in European and world history. Much of the material is otherwise unavailable in English. Carefully selected by experienced teacher-scholars, the documents encourage readers to weigh historical evidence and reach their own conclusions.

The catastrophe of the First World War, and the destruction, revolution, and enduring hostilities it wrought, make the issue of its origins a perennial puzzle. Since World War II, Germany has been viewed as the primary culprit. Now, in a major reinterpretation of the conflict, Sean McMeekin rejects the standard notions of the war’s beginning as either a Germano-Austrian preemptive strike or a “tragedy of miscalculation.” Instead, he proposes that the key to the outbreak of violence lies in St. Petersburg. It was Russian statesmen who unleashed the war through conscious policy decisions based on imperial ambitions in the Near East. Unlike their civilian counterparts in Berlin, who would have preferred to localize the Austro-Serbian conflict, Russian leaders desired a more general war so long as British participation was assured. The war of 1914 was launched at a propitious moment for harnessing the might of Britain and France to neutralize the German threat to Russia’s goal: partitioning the Ottoman Empire to ensure control of the Straits between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Nearly a century has passed since the guns fell silent on the western front. But in the lands of the former Ottoman Empire, World War I smolders still. Sunnis and Shiites, Arabs and Jews, and other regional antagonists continue fighting over the last scraps of the Ottoman inheritance. As we seek to make sense of these conflicts, McMeekin’s powerful exposé of Russia’s aims in the First World War will illuminate our understanding of the twentieth century.