“The World War I Years” Film Discussion Series

By Kate Mutch, Public Services Librarian

October 5, 2005

Do you know which war claimed 10 millions lives, wounding another 20 million and changed the political map of Europe? Do you know which war was the “war to end all wars?” Do you know which war was the first one for the United States to participate in that involved European affairs? If World War One or the Great War was your final answer, you were right.

World War One was the first “total war” – combatants mobilized all resources including military, industrial and human on a scale never before thought possible. Despite attempts by President Woodrow Wilson to encourage Americans to be neutral, the war quickly affected Americans. Not unlike today’s political climate, fierce national debate over intervention preceded America’s entry into the war in 1917, three years after it began. American soldiers helped turn the tide of the war in the Allies’ favor. 100,000 Americans were killed during World War One.

This war forever altered America’s status on the world stage, as well as changed reform movements on the domestic front. The United States emegerged from WWI as the strongest and richest nation in the world.

These turbulent years between 1914 and 1918 are explored in a movie series at your Natrona County Public Library. The series is a project from National Video Resources and the National Endowment for the Humanities, in collaboration with the American Library Association is entitled “The World War One Years: America Becomes a Super Power” and consists of six weekly programs. Each program includes screenings of award-winning documentaries and scholar led discussions. Erich Frankland, Casper College political science and history instructor will be the scholar for each session.

The program examines the American experience in the Great War, the first global conflict. It explores how the events of WWI transformed America into a world power and continue to impact the most important aspects of our lives today, nearly nine decades later. Some of the topics covered in the series include: President Wilson's attempt to keep the U.S. neutral as hostilities grew abroad, the decision to intervene and the creation and mobilization of a new army, and the social and demographic changes that were accelerated by America's participation in the war.

This series is for history buffs, students of all ages, as well as those people who want to explore America’s role in the global landscape.

Each program is designed to last about two hours and there will be plenty of time for group discussion. Although designed as a six-part program, attendance at any combination of the programs will help participants gain a better understanding of how these years shaped the nation we now live in.

For more information call 237-4935 or visit our website at www.natronacountylibrary.org.  

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