The Great War "The Great War was without precedent ... never had so many nations taken up arms at a single time. Never had the battlefield been so vast… never had the fighting been so gruesome..."

9 Million soldiers died 21,000,000 were wounded 4 Empires were destroyed

What was life like?

How did the war affect soldiers, women, and children?

Men volunteered and were conscripted to fight.

Women and children were left to maintain the home front

The war, we decided, came hardest of all upon us who were young. The middle-aged and the old had known their period of joy, whereas upon us catastrophe had descended just in time to deprive us of that youthful happiness of which we had believed ourselves entitled... ~ Vera Brittain

The war, we decided, came hardest of all upon us who were young. The middle-aged and the old had known their period of joy, whereas upon us catastrophe had descended just in time to deprive us of that youthful happiness of which we had believed ourselves entitled...

~ Vera Brittain

Next year’s class needs you ! What information would be helpful to know about the countries involved in WWI while reading All Quiet on the Western Front ? It is your job to select different aspects of life and culture to place in a time capsule for next year’s class.

Sources Duffy, Michael (2000-7). Vintage Photographs. Retrieved July 20, 2007, from First World War Web site: http://www.firstworldwar.com/photos/index.htm (1996-2004). 1914-1918 The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century. Retrieved July 20, 2007, from PBS Web site: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/