Because the literature of World War 1 changed—forever—our concept of war and battle.

WWI Issues  Instigation:  June 28, 1914  Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was murdered while visiting Serbia  July 28, 1914  Austria declares war on Serbia  July-August 1914  Because of various treaties, Germany, Belgium, Britain, Russia, France and other countries also declare war on each other  Rival imperialisms—too many empires!  International armaments race—tanks, airplanes, automatic weapons, etc.

WWI Opposing Sides Allied Powers Central Powers  Serbia  France  Britain  Russia  Italy  Belgium  US  Japan  Romania  Greece, Portugal, etc.  Austria-Hungary  Bulgaria  Germany  Ottoman Empire

 The Western Front  Battle line between NW France and Switzerland  Inspired one of the greatest war novels of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front

Other Terms to Know  Treaty of Versailles  armistice to end the war  Signed on November 11, 1918  At the Palace of Versailles in France (now a hotel!)

The Realities of War  Desolate – blasted trees and mud everywhere  Trenches filled with water and rats  Miles of barbed wire cut by “volunteers” crawling through machine gun fire to reach it before any advance could begin  Long, continuing massive bombardments by heavy artillery  A sense of permanent stalemate that suggested to the soldiers that this living hell could go on forever  d=D153E6BF-F33C-4C28-8A84- 22EF80B1E4EE&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US d=D153E6BF-F33C-4C28-8A84- 22EF80B1E4EE&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US

Poets on the Front  Poets involved on the front experienced the horrors of war  Expressed the terrible truths they experienced  Poets no longer romanticized war  Wrote instead of the disillusionment, trauma, havoc, and despair of war

WW1 Poets  Wilfred Owen Siegfried Sassoon  John McCrae

Soldiers’ Diaries  Provide personal insight into the mind of a WWI soldier.  PRIMARY SOURCES  A document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study.  These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event.  Examples: diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records,  CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art  RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, jewelry, buildings, weapons