As the war is slipping beyond living memory, this concise history helps ensures that the conflict is never forgottenWWI, lasting just four years from 1914 to 1918, was without parallel, the first true global conflict in which all of the earth's great powers participated. This book tells the story of this cataclysmic event. It describes the background to war, the international rivalries and conflicts of the previous decades that led to the nations of Europe forming virtual armed camps, the relentless build-up of military and naval hardware that characterized the early years of the 20th century, and the great figures that tried to prevent conflict or enthusiastically pushed for it. Each year of the war is dealt with in its own chapter, the battles, various battlefronts, and important incidents described and analyzed for their impact on the conduct of the war. The book also examines the last acts of this "war to end all wars," providing accounts of the Russian Revolution, the decisive entry of the U.S. into the hostilities, and the efforts of the Paris Peace Conference after the armistice to apportion blame and punish the losers.