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NOT for nothing was the First World War called “the war to end all wars”, even though it was sadly to be proved wrong, but at the time it did seem as if the world people knew had come to an end.

Warfare on an industrial scale had resulted in millions of deaths and casualties; civilians had been deliberately targeted by land, sea and air, huge areas of Europe had been devastated; both Great Britain and Germany had been on the edge of starvation and three great empires had collapsed with a fourth looking to go the same way.

This new history, with more than 40 new illustrations, naturally reflects the horrors of the conflict, but also sheds light on other often ignored aspects such as the role of women, mutinies and morale – both at the Front and at home – and the birth of a rising tide of socialism.

With contributions from 25 distinguished historians, this is as complete a snapshot of the war as you are likely to get in some 340 pages.