Summary
From the highly acclaimed Eyewitness History series, World War I examines one of the most pivotal points in 20th-century history, exploring the social, cultural, military, and political impacts of this war on American society, as well as the role the United States played in the conflict. Unlike other references on the subject, this new volume discusses World War I’s place in American history as the catalyst for World War II and the cold war, and explores its influences in today’s world. Highlighting its historical connections to such timely topics as terrorism, the impact of technology on warfare, the rise of rogue states, the use of weapons of mass destruction, and the importance of the non-Western, especially Middle Eastern, countries, World War I brings this crucial time period to life through the eyes of those who lived through it.
World War I provides hundreds of firsthand accounts—from diary entries, letters, speeches, and newspaper accounts—that focus on different warfare issues and on the social and cultural impacts of the war on Europe and the United States. As well as these primary source quotations, each illustrated chapter provides an introductory essay and a chronology of events. This volume also includes critical documents related to this topic, as well as capsule biographies of key figures, narrative sections, eyewitness testimonies, 102 black-and-white photographs, maps and graphs, a bibliography, notes, a glossary, chronologies, appendixes, and an index.
Specifications
Black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Maps. Index. Appendixes. Bibliography. Glossary. Chronologies. Notes.
About the Author(s)
Rodney P. Carlisle holds a B.A. in history from Harvard University and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a former chair of the history department at Rutgers University, Camden, N.J., where he taught for more than 30 years, specializing in 20th-century history and military history. Carlisle is now professor emeritus there. He has written many articles, as well as more than 15 books on history, including Facts On File’s Persian Gulf War and Iraq War, Updated Edition, from the America at War set; and Exploring Space, from the Discovery and Exploration set.