On 28 June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated, an event which sparked off a war that was to change the lives of millions of people around the world. Over 70 million military personnel were mobilised, more than 9 million combatants were killed. Entire generations of young men from towns and villages across Europe were wiped out. The fighting involved all of the great powers of the day, including the Americans, Canadians, Australians, Russians and the British Empire. World War I saw a significant change in the way wars were fought, as the cavalry charge and 'staged' battles were consigned to history, making the way for a complex system of trenches, heavy artillery, machine-guns and poison gas. Troops learnt to exist for months in confined spaces, fighting bitter battles to push their line forward by a few hundred yards. The war changed the fact of Europe forever, virtually destroying the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires. On 11 November 1918 Germany agreed to a cease-fire, a moment that has become enshrined in public remembrance to this day. The World War I Story is the perfect pocket narrative of one of the largest conflicts in human history: the Great War.
- ISBN10 075248561X
- ISBN13 9780752485614
- Publish Date 29 February 2012
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint The History Press Ltd
- Format eBook
- Pages 128
- Language English