(note: this was originally an oral presentation, and can be easily converted to essay form) Until 1914, all previous wars had been confined to small areas involving relatively small armies. World War I was the first ever 'total war' - where all aspects of a country's economic, social and political systems became devoted to the waging of the war effort. In July of 1914, Europe was at war. For the soldiers, the lack of education of the …showed first 75 words of 1169 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1169 total…much pressure on the British government to end the war. Both sides had no expectation of the war lasting as long as it did. As both sides continued to lose masses of lives and the war continued, attitudes of both the soldiers and those at home became negative. The Great War increasingly relied on which sides total war effort was most effective. In the end, the demands of total war proved devastating for both sides.