world war 1

The experiences of the war led to a collective trauma for all participating countries. The optimism of the 1900s was gone and those who fought in the war became known as the Lost Generation. For the next few years, much of Europe mourned. Memorials were erected in thousands of villages and towns. The soldiers returning home from World War I suffered greatly from the horrors they had witnessed. Called shell shock at the time, many returning veterans suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The social trauma caused by years of fighting manifested itself in different ways. Some people were revolted by nationalism and its results. They began to work toward a more internationalist world, supporting organisations such as the League of Nations. Pacifism became increasingly popular. Others had the opposite reaction, feeling that only strength and military-might could be relied upon in a chaotic and inhumane world. Anti-modernist views were an outgrowth of the many changes taking place in society. The rise of Nazism and fascism included a revival of the nationalist spirit and a rejection of many post-war changes. Similarly, the popularity of the Dolchstosslegende ("backstab") was a testament to the psychological state of defeated Germany and was a rejection of responsibility for the conflict. The myth of betrayal became common and the aggressors came to see themselves as victims. The popularity of the 'Dolchstosslegende myth played a significant role in the outbreak of World War II and the Holocaust. A sense of disillusionment and cynicism became pronounced, with nihilism growing in popularity. This disillusionment for humanity found a cultural climax with the Dadaist artistic movement. Many believed the war heralded the end of the world as they had known it, including the collapse of capitalism and imperialism. Communist and socialist movements around the world drew strength from this theory and enjoyed a level of popularity they had never known before. These feelings were most pronounced in areas directly or harshly affected by the war.

World War I
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"The Great War" redirects here. For other uses, see The Great War (disambiguation).
World War I

Clockwise from top: Trenches on the Western Front; a British Mark IV tank crossing a trench; Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the Battle of the Dardanelles; a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks, and German Albatros D.III biplanes
Date July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918
Location Europe, Africa and the Middle East (briefly in China and the Pacific Islands)
Result Allied victory; end of the German, Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian Empires; foundation of new countries in Europe and the Middle East; transfer of German colonies to other powers; establishment of the League of Nations.

Combatants
Allied (Entente) Powers:
Russian Empire
France
British Empire
Italy
United States

et al.
Central Powers:
Austria-Hungary
German Empire
Ottoman Empire
Bulgaria
Commanders
Nikolas II
Aleksei Brusilov
Raymond Poincaré
Georges Clemenceau
Joseph Joffre
Ferdinand Foch
Robert Nivelle
Philippe Pétain
George V
H. H. Asquith
D. Lloyd George
Douglas Haig
John Jellicoe
Horatio Herbert Kitchener
Victor Emmanuel III
Luigi Cadorna
Armando Diaz
Woodrow Wilson
John J. Pershing

Franz Josef I
Conrad von Hötzendorf
Wilhelm II
Erich von Falkenhayn
Paul von Hindenburg
Reinhard Scheer
Erich Ludendorff
Mehmed V
İsmail Enver
Mustafa Kemal
Ferdinand I
Vladimir Vazov
Nikola Zhekov
Casualties & losses
Military dead:
5,525,000
Military wounded: 12,831,500
Military missing: 4,121,000[1]
...further details. Military dead:
4,386,000
Military wounded: 8,388,000
Military missing: 3,629,000[1]
...further details.
v • d • eTheatres of World War I
European
Balkans – Western Front – Eastern Front – Italian Front
Middle Eastern
Caucasus – Mesopotamia – Sinai and Palestine – Gallipoli – Persia
African
South-West Africa – West Africa – East Africa
Asian and Pacific
German Samoa and New Guinea – Tsingtao
Other
Atlantic Ocean – Mediterranean – Naval – Aerial
World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and the War To End All Wars, was a global military conflict which took place primarily in Europe from 1914 to 1918.[2] Over 40 million casualties resulted, including approximately 20 million military and civilian deaths.[3]

The Entente Powers, led by France, Russia, the British Empire, and later Italy (from 1915), and the United States (from 1917), defeated the Central Powers, led by the Austro-Hungarian, German, and Ottoman Empires. Russia withdrew from the war after its revolution in 1917.

The fighting that took place along the Western Front occurred along a system of trenches, breastworks, and fortifications separated by an area known as no man's land.[4] These fortifications stretched 475 miles (more than 600 kilometres)[4] and defined the war for many. On the Eastern Front, the vast eastern plains and limited rail network prevented a trench warfare stalemate, though the scale of the conflict was just as large as on the Western Front. The Middle Eastern Front and the Italian Front also saw heavy fighting, while hostilities also occurred at sea, and for the first time, in the air.

The war caused the disintegration of four empires: the Austro-Hungarian, German, Ottoman, and Russian. Germany lost its colonial empire; Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland gained independence, while the Kingdom of Yugoslavia came into existence as a successor to the Kingdom of Serbia. The cost of waging the war set the stage for the breakup of the British Empire as well and left France devastated for more than a generation.

World War I marked the end of the world order which had existed after the Napoleonic Wars, and was an important factor in the outbreak of World War II