The 1914-18 conflict was called 'the war to end all wars'.World War I: A Photographic History charts the course of this epic struggle,from the assassin's bullet in Sarajevo which sparked the conflict to the flawed Treaty of Versailles which ended it.Superbly illustrated with photographs from the Daily Mail archives,many reproduced for the first time,these pages capture a defining moment in world history.

By the summer of 1914 Europe was a tinder-box waiting to explode. It was a continent rife with suspicion and resentment, with two power blocs eyeing each other warily. Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28 June, one by one the major powers took up arms. Many welcomed the fact that the waiting was finally over; Europe's nations now had their first opportunity in 40years to cover themselves in military glory.

The euphoria of those early months soon gave way to the grim reality of attritional warfare.60,000 died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme; more than 10 million lives were lost overall. The battlegrounds saw new technologies, including tanks, flame-throwers and deadly poison gas. Yet this was chiefly a war of men, bullets and bombs; and - for much of its 52 months' duration - bloody stalemate.

World War I: A Photographic History examines the causes of the conflict and charts its course on all the major fronts. It describes the collapse of old empires and the birth of new nation states. By the end of hostilities Russia was in Bolshevik hands and the USA had emerged as a global power; the new world order was being established even before the fighting was over.

The 1914-18 conflict did not prove to be 'the war to end all wars'. Faultlines in the peace treaties helped to plunge Europe into an even bloodier war just 21 years later. But it remains a defining moment of the twentieth century. The decisions of the political and military leaders are still being scrutinized and debated, and the consequences of this epic struggle are still beingplayed out.

INTRODUCTION   THE GREAT WAR

CHAPTER ONE   A DIVIDED EUROPE

CHAPTER TWO   GERMANY TAKES TERRITORY

CHAPTER THREE  A DEEPENING STALEMATE

CHAPTER FOUR   DESPERATE MEASURES

CHAPTER FIVE   VICTORY AT A PRICE

CHAPTER SIX   AN UNEASY PEACE