History Painting of World War I

Author: Li Yan / Gao Ming, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-02-01
Features: Over four years, Germany challenged the world's five continents on land, at sea, and in the air. No matter on which battlefield, it turned defeat into victory. All major powers in the world united to fight against it, yet over 50 months passed without achieving victory. Before taking away its sword of terror from that dreadful hand, nearly 20 million people had been injured or killed without dying. For history, the Germans had had enough! — Churchill
World War I was the first world-scale war fought between the two major groups of imperialist countries—the Allies and the Central Powers—over the redrawing of the world map, the struggle for spheres of influence, and hegemony. Both sides involved in the war were unjust. A total of 38 countries directly participated in the war, with the combined mobilization of the two sides reaching 70 million troops, and nearly 30 million casualties were incurred.
The outcome of World War I saw Germany-led Allied Powers defeated, with Britain and France weakened, while the United States and Japan rose in status, leading to a significant change in the global strategic landscape. This war also contributed to the success of the Russian October Socialist Revolution and the emergence of the world's first socialist country, the Soviet Union. It further fueled the rise of national liberation movements in colonies and semi-colonies.
World War I had a profound impact on the development of military theory worldwide. The war saw the first use of new weapons such as aircraft, submarines, tanks, and chemical weapons, leading to the emergence of new branches of the military and new forms of warfare. The various military theories that emerged after the war, such as air superiority, tank dominance, blitzkrieg theory, and the theory of strong strategic defense, were all products of summarizing the lessons learned from World War I from different perspectives.
Due to the important role of World War I in modern military history and even in the entire history of the world, countries worldwide attach great importance to studying and introducing it. This book, with its rich illustrations and texts, presents an objective, fair, and vivid portrayal of the entire scene of World War I, aiming to help readers understand, recognize, and draw inspiration and education from it.