The impact of World War I continues to unfold into the 21st Century.  It was caused by a multitude of factors like: old grudges, colonial conflicts, family rivalries, nationalism, alliances, and militarism.  There was some fighting on other continents, but most of the carnage took place in Europe.

     There were two main theatres of combat.  The Eastern Front was contested between Germany and Austria against the Russian Empire, while the Western Front saw fighting between Germany against France and the U.K. (and the U.S.A. toward the end).  The Western Front included a great conflict at sea as well.

     This industrial war was fought on a massive scale, and the death and destruction was unimaginable.  Technology was applied to the slaughter, with planes, tanks, submarines, and chemical weapons seeing their first extensive use on the battlefield.  The body count climbed into the tens of millions.

     When it was finally over, Europe had shredded its position of dominance across the globe.  The Great War caused the communist revolution in Russia, led to the rise of dictators in many nations, and provided the background for an even greater conflict one generation later.