A chronological history of World War I, including the events that led up to it and its political and social legacy, is supplemented with such primary source documents as letters, diaries, and newspaper articles.

Spark and the fuel: 1903-August 1914 -- First battles and the Western Front Stalemate: August 1914-November 1915 -- Early war on and beneath the sea: August 1914-December 1916 -- Gallipoli and Arabia: October 1914-November 1918 -- Eastern front and Russia: August 1914-March 1918 -- Debacles on the Western front: December 1915-December 1916 -- Woodrow Wilson and the dilemmas of neutrality: August 1914-January 1917 -- U.S Entry into the war: November 1916-April 1917 -- Home front in the United States: April 1917-November 1918 -- Calculus of death: January 1917-November 1918 -- Peace conference and the treaty of Versailles: November 11, 1918-March 4, 1921 -- Lost Generation in the 1920s: 1919-1927 -- Appendix A: Documents -- Appendix B: Biographies of Major Personalities -- Appendix C: Maps and Table -- Appendix D: Glossary -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.