World War I the first total war in history set in motion profound changes in the economies demographics and philosophies of the warring states In this book leading experts on the Great War discuss its causes character and legacy Their writings show that to study World War I is to encounter not only the dissolution of the four defeated empires Russia Germany Austria Hungary and Turkey but also the collapse of the optimistic assumption of progress that had defined the nineteenth century The analysis of the Great War in fact provides an essential framework for our understanding of the entire twentieth century The book draws together military history international history and cultural history to offer a wide ranging summary of current knowledge and debate regarding the First World War Contributors to this volume Modris Eksteins Gerald Feldman William C Fuller Jr Mary R Habeck Holger H Herwig John Horne Michael Howard A S Kanya Forstner Leonard V Smith Zara Steiner David Stevenson