Peace and War in the 20th Century
Random Highlights
One of McMaster’s few holdings of German archival material, the letters of Otto and Ada Hartmann extend over a period of less than a year, between the spring and fall of 1915. Despite the relatively small size of the collection, amounting to some two dozen letters, it nevertheless provides valuable insight into military operations and attitudes in the German rearguard and into the daily life of a German soldier’s wife during this important first full year of international warfare.
The First World War had a profound and transformative effect on the Middle East. Four years of intense Allied combat—waged primarily by British, Australian, and Indian troops—resulted in the decisive defeat of Ottoman and German forces, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the imposition of a postwar political settlement that permanently affected the region.
The First World War has sometimes been referred to as “the first modern war” – an acknowledgement of the significant number of technological developments which were used in battles for the first time during this conflict.
