1918: Year of Victory

'The end of the Great War and the shaping of history.'

Edited by Ashley Elkins.

The Great War involved the mobilisation of 70 million soldiers worldwide. It produced images of such pervasive horror on the Western Front that it defined warfare in human memory long into the 20th century. The war also left a grim legacy. Thirteen million people died, nine million of them combatants. Over one-third of those who died were missing, having no known graves. The war changed the world irrevocably.

Scholars continue to explore and challenge many of the assumptions and common perceptions surrounding the conflict, from its origins and causes, to the responsibility for its conduct, the reasons for Allied victory over the Central Powers, and the consequences and long-term outcomes of that victory. The chapters in this book had their origins in an international conference, 1918: Year of Victory, convened by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra in November 2008 to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the end of the Great War. First World War scholars from a number of nations, many of them renowned specialists in their field, gathered to present their research findings and to share their insights into issues surrounding the ending of the Great War, its memory and continuing impact.

The presentations were lively, authoritative and wide-ranging. This highly readable book is a collection of these presentations.