Almost one hundred years ago, a war that killed millions of people from all over Europe, Asia, and the United States began with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria-Hungary. The tensions between the Serbians and the Austro-Hungarian Empire became an ultimate war of power and land. Russia, along with its French ally, entered the war in order to secure its influence with Eastern Europe, which in turn caused Germany to feel threatened.
Eventually other nations began to join sides forming the Allied Powers, including Britain, Russia, France, Italy, and several other countries, and the Central Powers including Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. On May 7, 1915, a German military submarine destroyed the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania. More than 1,000 people lost their lives including more than 120 U.S citizens. In January 1917, Germany further threatened to continue military strikes in war-zone waters, prompting the US to abandon its neutrality established by President Woodrow Wilson almost three years earlier and enter the war on the side of the Allied Powers.
By the time the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, 4,743,826 Americans served in the war. 53,513 lost their lives in battle while an additional 204,002 were wounded.
The University of North Georgia Press would like to honor these brave men and women by publishing a World War I Series to commemorate the centennial of the United States of America’s contribution to the war effort. We are accepting original prose, poetry, and nonfiction as well as first-hand accounts and artifacts such as journals, letters, photographs, or other memorable works from that time period. Please see our submission guidelines for information about submission requirements. If you have any questions, contact the press here.