This course will examine a traumatic conflagration at the beginning of the Twentieth Century that was once called "The Great War" or, in a more optimistic vein, "the War to End All Wars."   When it failed to achieve this noble goal and military conflict again rocked Europe during the 1940s, the earlier struggle was rechristened World War I or the First World War, names by which it has been known ever since.

The course will utilize lectures, readings, poetry, overheads, films, and songs to accomplish the following:

*trace back into the 19th century the social,diplomatic, and military threads that ultimately combined to produce the First World War.

*explore the successive crises of the early 20th century leading up to the decisive events of 1914 that set the conflict in motion.

*examine in depth the course of the war, its effect upon the various participants, the evolution of military technology which it inspired, the profound social and economic changes which it wrought, and the life of the millions who were involved either on the battlefield or on the homefronts.

*consider the outcome of  the war and its many serious repercussions for the history of the twentieth century.

Grades will be based on two examinations during the term, a non-cumulative final examination, and a short paper on a subject of the student's choosing.

Required readings include:

CLASS NOTES (extracted from the lectures and provided on the website; they will be the principal basis of the three exams)

E. M. Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front (the classic World War I novel)

Robert Graves, Goodbye to All That (the most famous WW1 memoir)

Select documents available on the website

Required Films:

Paths of Glory (Kirk Douglas, Adolph Manjou)

Rcommended Films:

Gallipoli  (Mel Gibson)