Page 9 - Anthology

WORLD WAR I
1914 – 1918

“I’d rather leave you as a sweetheart than to leave you a widow.”
Private Robert Hoover
Explaining why he did not want to marry his sweetheart before leaving for WWI

The world was transformed by the proceedings of World War One – The Great War - as historians portray
it. But, in my opinion, no war is great. Perhaps the cause calls for prominence, but war itself is anything
but great. To echo the thoughts of many of the Veterans in this book: “War is hell.”

Our nation and indeed the world suffered immeasurable losses. H. G. Wells called WWI: “The War to
End All Wars.” History reveals that few lessons were learned. World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, and the
war on terror would soon prove Mr. Wells erroneous.

In the spring of 1915, the trenches along the western front were filled with millions of soldiers. In 1917,
after the loss of millions of lives, the impasse on the front lines, and the disruption of nearly every aspect
of daily life, the warrior nations rejected all the proposed peace initiatives.

People on both sides of the conflict began to question the viciousness and the carnage.

By the time of the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, four empires were destroyed. The war
was over, but the world would not return to normal. Nine million soldiers were killed. Many citizens of the
world’s nations went to the grave fraught by the unanswered question: "What did it all mean?"

Further studies of WWI please do not change the station when prompted. This will link you to PBS main
page and more material about WWI.