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The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century
Season 1
Episode 3

What if... Total War

November 24, 1996

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The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century - S1 - E3

An insight into the personal experiences of people caught up in World War One, with diaries and letters shedding light on the conflict. One million women left the home to work in Britain's munitions factories, while soldiers' families lived in dread of receiving a telegram or telephone call bearing bad news.

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The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century: Season 1 - 8 Episode s

1x1 - Explosion
November 10, 1996
Instability in Europe is fueled by Germany's growing militarism, Kaiser Wilhelm II's obsession to match the British Royal Navy, and French and German war plans before the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria triggers combat.
1x2 - Stalemate
November 17, 1996
At the start of World War One it was predicted the fighting would be over in a matter of weeks, owing to technical advances in weaponry. But the reality proved entirely different as soldiers dug into the ground to escape artillery, trenches began to spread for miles and the Western Front developed.
1x3 - What if... Total War
November 24, 1996
An insight into the personal experiences of people caught up in World War One, with diaries and letters shedding light on the conflict. One million women left the home to work in Britain's munitions factories, while soldiers' families lived in dread of receiving a telegram or telephone call bearing bad news.
1x4 - Slaughter
December 1, 1996
The stories of the battles of Verdun, the Somme and Passchendaele, three of World War One's most bloody encounters, using newsreel footage taken at the scene during a time when film was on the verge of becoming a major influence on the public's perception of warfare
1x5 - Mutiny
December 8, 1996
Account of the despair which swept Europe in 1917, as World War One dragged on into its fourth year with no end in sight. While British doctors struggled to find an effective shell-shock treatment for patients, including poet Wilfred Owen, half of the French army mutinied and Russia was gripped by revolution.
1x6 - Collapse
December 15, 1996
Account of the sudden ending of World War One in 1918, tracing the various causes responsible for Germany's ultimate downfall, including a failed offensive, the Americans joining the Allied Forces and crumbling civilian morale. Archive footage reveals the momentous occasion when the guns fell silent on the 11th hour of November 11, and British and German troops shook hands.
1x7 - Legacy
December 22, 1996
Covers the continuing blockade on Germany as the Allies drew up the Treaty of Versailles, with considerable focus on Woodrow Wilson’s role in the Paris Peace Conference.
1x8 - War Without End
December 29, 1996
Examines the cost of the war and its continuing reverberations through the rest of the 20th century.

The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century: All seasons

S1: Season 1
8 Episode s

1x1 - Explosion

1x2 - Stalemate

1x3 - What if... Total War

1x4 - Slaughter

1x5 - Mutiny

1x6 - Collapse

1x7 - Legacy

1x8 - War Without End

S1: Season 1