In 1914, the assassination of an Austrian archduke set off a disastrous four-year-long conflict involving dozens of countries with battles taking place in all parts of the world. World War I was the first to use planes and tanks as well as deadly gases that left soldiers blinded or “shell shocked”. There were battles that lasted for months with opposing troops fighting from rat-infested trenches, battles that often ended in hollow victories with only a small amount of land taken. This edition of the bestselling “What Was” series gives young readers a clear and compelling account of this long and tragic event, a war that left over 20 million dead and was the lead up to World War II barely twenty years later. A great complement to the chapter book, Lines of Courage.