This three-volume reference is appropriate for middle school students and above. Volume I, War and Response 1914-1916, covers the causes of the conflict, the reactions around the world to its outbreak, the course of the fighting in the first years of fighting, and the United States' move toward declaring war in April 1917. Volume II, Victory and Defeat 1917-1918, charts the United States' contribution to the war and the fighting between 1917 and 1918, as well as the war's aftermath and impact around the globe during the 1920s and beyond. The third volume, Home Fronts and Technologies of War, looks at the impact of the war on the lives of ordinary civilians and also studies the military innovations, tactics, and weapons that contributed to the ferocity of the conflict. The reference is extensively illustrated with color and bandw illustrations and maps and includes boxed sections that describe key figures and their roles, provide eyewitness accounts, and summarize political events. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR