World War I (the Great War), 1914-1918
Electronic Books
The Experience of World War I (1990) This link opens in a new windowPublication Date: 1990An expansive introduction organized by year within the four themes of the Politicians' War, the Generals' War, the Soldiers' War, and the Civilians' War. See especially Part 5: The Shadow of War. Available as a 14-day loan from the Internet Archive.
The Legacy of the Great War : Ninety Years On This link opens in a new windowPublication Date: 2009This book results from a series of public forums held in 2007-2008 featuring renowned historians of World War I. Topics range from the origins of the war and responsibility for the July Crisis; generalship and military command; the soldiers' experiences of combat; the peace-making process and the overwhelming pressures under which statesmen worked; and the long-term cultural consequences of the war, showing that the Great War was "great" not merely because of its magnitude but also because of its revolutionary effects. In addition to shedding new light on these subjects, this book provides a window into the process of historical analysis and how it takes form.
The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War This link opens in a new windowPublication Date: 2016From causes to consequences, from the trenches of Flanders to the mountains of the Balkans and the deserts of the Middle East, from the strategy of the politicians to the tactics of the generals, distinguished historians of the Great War chart the course of the conflict and assess its profound political and human impacts. Material on economic mobilization, the role of women, propaganda campaigns, and the rise of socialism establish the wider context of the fighting on land, at sea, and in the air. See especially Chapter 18: The Entry of the USA into the War and its Effects.
The United States in the War This link opens in a new windowPublication Date: 1919This is Chapter 9 of a book published shortly after the war ended, The Geography of the Great War.
Suggested Databases
- History Reference Center - EBSCO This link opens in a new windowDesigned for secondary schools, public libraries, junior/community colleges and undergraduate research, this database features full text for thousands of primary source documents and informational texts.
- History Vault - ProQuest This link opens in a new windowHistory Vault is a collection of primary source material pertaining to the civil rights movement and to U.S. foreign policy during the Vietnam War era. This rich collection of federal records, letters, papers, photographs, scrapbooks, financial records, and diaries is organized in five subject categories: 1) Civil Rights and the Black Freedom Struggle; 2) Southern Life, Slavery, and the Civil War; 3) American Indians and the American West; 4) American Politics and Society; 5) International Relations and Military Conflicts; 6) Women's Studies; and 7) Workers and Labor Unions.
- U.S. History In Context - Gale This link opens in a new windowIncludes more than 5,000 primary source documents, full-text articles drawn from top periodicals and newspapers, thousands of images, videos, and audio selections.
Websites
- The Great War, PBS American Experience (2018) This link opens in a new window
A public television program featuring interviews with scholars and popular historians.
View the "Transcript" tab along the blue banner of the landing page and the related "Features" linked further below on that page. - The Zimmermann Telegram - And Other Events Leading To America’s Entry into World War I This link opens in a
From the US National Archives publication Prologue (2016)
Example Sources
- Wilson's Appeal for U.S. Neutrality in the War This link opens in a new windowThe article presents an address made by United States President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 regarding American involvement in World War I. Wilson comments on the benefits of maintaining neutrality in the conflict. Wilson remarks that Americans must display loyalty to the U.S., over and above loyalty to European countries of family origin. The role of the U.S. as a mediator of international conflict is highlighted in the speech. Wilson warns Americans against allowing differences of opinion on the conflict to interfere with the spirit of neutrality. The speech includes an appeal to maintain neutrality for the sake of maintaining peace and resolving conflict.
- Wilson's Diplomatic Notes on the Sinking of the passenger liner R.M.S. Lusitania This link opens in a new wiPresents the text of a note written by the United States president responding to the German sinking of the Royal Mail Ship Lusitania in 1915 during World War I. Previous American respect of German rights; Reasons for the German sinking of the Lusitania; Protest against the use of submarines in the control of shipping; Other resolutions.
- Wilson's "Fourteen Points" for a post-war peace and order This link opens in a new windowThe article presents the text of a 1918 speech by United States President Woodrow Wilson in which he outlined fourteen points he believed would put those involved in World War I on the road to lasting peace. Wilson's first point urges for open peace treaties and no private international understandings; diplomacy should be frank and within the public view. Second, he urges freedom of navigation on the sees outside territorial waters. Third, he urges the removal of all economic barriers and equal trade conditions among all nations. In his fourth point, Wilson asks for national disarmaments to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety. Fifth, Wilson asks for an impartial adjustment of all colonial claims in such a way that the populations concerned have equal weight with the equitable claims of the government whose title is to be determined. Points six through thirteen concern Russia, Belgium, France, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Romania, Turkey, and Poland, respectively. The fourteenth point calls for a general association of nations formed under covenants for the purpose of guaranteeing political independence and territorial integrity of all nations.