World War I
This Web page provides links to materials that can be used for doing research on World War I, also referred to as the Great War and the War to End All Wars. It is not comprehensive, but it contains more than enough information to help most researchers. Much useful material for history is found in books. Additional resources (articles, etc.) are identified in the bibliographies of these books and in indexes and abstracts (print and electronic--a number of these are full text online). Track these resources down for thorough research. See "identifying books" for subject terms used in library catalogs for the history of World War I. That said, there is a growing amount of useful research material, including primary resources, on the Web and through proprietary (a library purchases them) databases; a number of these are linked to here, but accessible to CSU affiliates only (or if one's own library has a subscription; access would be through that library's portal).
Warning: because of the topic (war), there are a number of linked-to sites below that show images (photographs, etc.) of the dead and other potentially disturbing sights. Books and other materials will probably have these as well.
Timelines | Summaries, Artifacts & Documents | Identifying Books | Personal Accounts | Indexes and Abstracts |
Reference Books
These titles give overviews of World War I:
- Almanac of World War I. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1998. D 522.5 .B87 1998 Reference
- The Dictionary of the First World War. New York: St. Martin's, 1995. D 510 .P66 1995 Reference
- The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 1996. D510 .E97 1996 Reference
- The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 1995. D510 .U65 1995 Reference
- World War I: Encyclopedia. 5 v. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2005. D510 .E53 2005 Reference
- World War I Reference Library. 4 vols. Detroit: U*X*L, 2002. Online via Gale Virtual Reference Library to CSU affiliates.
Bibliography of primary accounts:
- World War I Memories: An Annotated Bibliography of Personal Accounts Published in English Since 1919. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2004. D 640 .A2 L46 2004 Reference
Timelines of World War I or the Great War
Chief Events of the War Timeline: 1914-1919. (Section of American Memory). Library of Congress.Year by year timeline of events. June 28, 1914-June 28, 1914.
The Great War Timeline. PBS.
From pre-1914 to post 1919.
Timeline of World War One. History Learning Site.
June 28, 1914 (assassination of Francis Ferdinand) to June 28, 1918 (Treaty of Versailles).
War Timeline. First World War.com: The War to End All Wars. © Michael Duffy 2000-07.
"Great War" timeline. Search by month and day: June 23, 1914-December 31, 1919. By year gives summary of major events. By day provides "on this day" for Western Front, Eastern Front, Southern Front, Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres, Naval and Overseas Operations, Political, etc. Definitions of "fronts'" ranges provided.
Documents of World War I or the Great War
The resources listed in this section link to primarily primary source documents and images (photographs, posters, cartoons, etc.).
AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History 1913-. Lynn Nelson, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Kansas. Maintained by George Laughead Jr.
Section of the page. Source documents both for and against the war from an American perspective.
American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I and the 1920 Election. (Section of American Memory). Library of Congress.
Excellent resource for primary research. Audio of speeches with text provided. Some topics:
- United States--Foreign relations--1913-1921.
- World War, 1914-1918--Collaborationists--United States.
- World War, 1914-1918--Economic aspects--United States.
- World War, 1914-1918--Finance--United States.
- World War, 1914-1918--Naval operations, American.
- World War, 1914-1918--Propaganda--United States.
- World War, 1914-1918--United States.
American Memory. Library of Congress.
Do a search in all collections for "World War I" to see over 3500 images from the home front (and possibly beyond).
Canada and the First World War. Library and Archives Canada. Also in French.
War diaries, "we were there," (people who were there) and "did you know that." "This Web site contains contextual information and help for researchers wishing to use the digitised War Diaries of CEF infantry and artillery units, Brigade, Division and Corps commands and support units such as Railway and Forestry troops. The site also includes the War Diaries of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and British units that served under Canadian command. This site does not include documents relating to the Royal Canadian Air Force, or to the Royal Canadian Navy." War diaries are not personal diaries. Summaries and maps. While the diaries themselves are primary sources, the summaries are secondary sources. Search the war diaries database (by unit name, date, or year, and see images of the diaries themselves in some cases.
Canada in the First World War: Valour Remembered. Anciens Combattants Canada. © Minister of Supply and Services Canada . Also in French.
The start, the extension, Canada joining the war, on the West front, and behind the lines. War in the air, war in the sea, Canadians in other campaigns, after the Armistice, and commemorative monuments for Canadians (in Belgium and France). Map of the Western front.
Memoirs & Diaries. First World War.com. © Michael Duffy 2000-07.
Diaries and first-hand accounts of events. Scroll down to see links. Checked first hand accounts included photographs (although it is likely that these were added by the site author, not the writers themselves).
Newspaper Pictorials: World War I Rotogravures 1913-1919. (Section of American Memory). Library of Congress.
"The images in this collection track American sentiment about the war in Europe, week by week, before and after the United States became involved. Events of the war are detailed alongside society news and advertisements touting products of the day, creating a pictorial record of both the war effort and life at home. The collection includes an illustrated history of World War I selected from newspaper rotogravure sections that graphically documents the people, places, and events important to the war." Pictures and essays.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries. Alexander Street Press. CSU affiliates only.
Primary source materials. There are 296 documents identified as World War I under "historical events."
Primary Documents. First World War.com. © Michael Duffy 2000-07.
Contains "primary documents that document the course of the war via source - often official government - material." Search by year from pre-1914 to post-1919. Documents are described (and sometimes there is an image of the original document). Items checked were all in English, so it is likely that some of these are translated. In some cases, it is noted that the item is a translation, in others no mention is made; it is possible the owner of the site translated the materials (it is highly unlikely that Germans sent messages to one another in English and there are examples of these types of communications--in English). Some items note a book source. Extensive.
The World War I Document Archive. Richard Hacken and Jane Plotke. Brigham Young University Library.
"This archive of primary documents from World War I has been assembled by volunteers of the World War I Military History List (WWI-L). International in focus, the archive intends to present in one location primary documents concerning the Great War." Arranged by: Conventions and Treaties and Official Papers; Documents by Year; Diaries, Memorials, Personal Reminiscences; Books, Special Topics and Commentaries; and WWI Biographical Dictionary.
The Stars and Stripes: The American Soldiers' Newspaper of World War I, 1918-1919. (Section of American Memory). Library of Congress.
"From February 8, 1918, to June 13, 1919, by order of General John J. Pershing, the United States Army published a newspaper for its forces in France, The Stars and Stripes. This online collection, presented by the Serial and Government Publications Division of the Library of Congress, includes the complete seventy-one-week run of the newspaper's World War I edition." Search by keyword or date. Zoom in and out, view by PDF, TIFF, and other formats.
Imperial War Museum Collections. London.
See sections that deal with various aspects of 20th century war: not all topic or entries relate to World War I, but a number of individual items are relevant. War at Sea, War on Land, War in the Air, War & Peace, Prisoners, Civilians, etc.
Trenches on the Web Library. Mike Iavarone and Mike Hanlon. Great War Society.
When, who, what, where, maps. This links to the site map. Exhibits and links to reference materials (for example, number of casualties by country). Extensive. Includes 101+ Indispensable Works on The Great War (contributed by current author, revised 1996; very brief, but descriptive annotations). Some items on the site are contributions; these are so noted.
WWW-VL History. Military: The Great War 1914-1918 . The World Wide Virtual Library. The University of Kansas.
Listing by topic and chronological. Many primary source documents.
World War I. Teacher Oz's Kingdom of History. Tracey Oz.
A number of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources identified.
World War I and World War II Posters. (Section of American Memory). Library of Congress.
Page gives directions for finding the approximately 1,800 posters in the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC): Posters: World War I. Scroll down to link to the catalog. Many of the records have a digitized image of the poster. (Collection. Browse "subject and format headings" to see broad subjects with links to images.)
World War I Document Archive. Great War Primary Document Archive, Inc., Kansas University, Brigham Young University and Richard Hacken.
Conventions, Treaties, & Official Papers; Documents by Year: Pre-1914 to Post-1918; Diaries, Memorials, Personal Reminiscences; Books, Special Topics and Commentaries; WWI Biographical Dictionary; WWI Image Archive; The Maritime War; the Medical Front; Links to Other WWI Sites. Extensive.
Sites in Languages Other Than English
This section is under construction and may eventually end up on a separate Web page. The intention is to add German-language (and others, if identified) Web materials. At present this has sites in French.
Le Canada et la Première Guerre Mondiale. Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. In French. Also in English.
War diaries [Journaux de guerre], "we were there" [Nous y etions] (people who were there), and "did you know that" [Saviez vous que]. "This Web site contains contextual information and help for researchers wishing to use the digitised War Diaries of CEF infantry and artillery units, Brigade, Division and Corps commands and support units such as Railway and Forestry troops. The site also includes the War Diaries of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and British units that served under Canadian command. This site does not include documents relating to the Royal Canadian Air Force, or to the Royal Canadian Navy." ["Ce site Web contient des renseignements contextuels qui aideront les chercheurs désirant consulter les versions numérisées des journaux de guerre des unités d'infanterie et d'artillerie, ainsi que celles des rapports de brigade, de division, d'état-major d'une unité et d'autres unités d'appui, par exemple les unités ferroviaires ou forestières du CEC. Le site contient également les journaux de guerre du Royal Newfoundland Regiment et ceux des unités britanniques sous commandement canadien. Il ne contient pas de documents concernant l'Aviation royale du Canada ni la Marine royale du Canada." War diaries are not personal diaries. [Les journaux de guerre ne sont pas des journaux personnels.] Summaries and maps. While the diaries themselves are primary sources, the summaries are secondary sources. Search the war diaries database (by unit name, date, or year), and see images of the diaries themselves in some cases. Handwritten diaries in English do not appear to have French equivalents, but the text about them is in French.
Les Coloniaux en 1914-1918. Troupes De Marine Françaises. In French.
Locations of troops during the war. Which battles they fought.
Enseigner l'histoire de la 1ère guerre mondiale en Première. Dossiers proposés par Jean-Pierre Husson. In French.
A number of links that cover the causes of the war, the conflict itself, and the aftermath. Other topics address other (than France) countries involvement in the war, themes (such as women in the war), and documents. Extensive bibliography.
Extraits des Carnets de Tranchée du Marsouin VIRY Georges 1914-1915. Christophe Viry. In French.
Journal of a soldier--in the trenches in 1914 and 1915. Site has photographs and audio. (German and English versions still under construction.)
La Grande Guerre 1914-1918. Première Guerre Mondiale. France 5.fr. In French.
A few topics about the war in detail: the economy, fire in Verdun, number of deaths, and information on the Russian Revolution. Selective chronology.
La Grande Guerre en Dessins. In French.
Drawings, paintings, and writings of the war. Click on large picture on right side of page to enter. Drawings sorted by Le poilu (French soldiers of WWI); Le Combat (fighting); Champ d'Honneur (battlefields); L'Aviation (planes); La Marine (navy); Les Nations; L'Humour. The section of Les Hommages provides an annotated list of sources and documents.
Guerre de 1914-1918: Collection de Photographies. D o m i n i q u e B A C. In French.
Five "Albums" of photographs. Albums show small images; click to enlarge and read a brief description. Introduction warns that some of the photographs are grim, showing the realities of war. ("Certaines vues sont très dures; elles nous font découvrir la triste réalité de la guerre.") Photos are not for reproduction either personal or commercial. ("SVP - N'utilisez pas ces photos pour des publications personnelles ou commerciales.")
La participation du Canada à la Première Guerre mondiale Souvenirs de Vaillance. Anciens Combattants Canada. © Ministre des Approvisionnements et Services Canada. In French. Also in English.
The start, the extension, Canada joining the war, on the West front, and behind the lines. War in the air, war in the sea, Canadians in other campaigns, after the Armistice, and commemorative monuments for Canadians (in Belgium and France). Map of the Western front.
La première guerre mondiale (1902-1932). Anovi. L'association "Patrimoine de la Grande Guerre." In French.
Articles, Biographies, Chronologie, Documents, Bibliographie, Pertes, L'essentiel, Lexique, Album-photos, Lieux, Liens.
Carnets de la Grande Guerre 1914-1918.
Single perspectives (Champagne, Souain) and side by side (Alsace, Somme, Marne/Ourcq, Aisne) letters or diaries of battles and events of the war by two participants: Abel Castel and Henri Roth. Epilogue (foot of Souain page) reports on their post-war lives.
Note (repeating from above): This section [sites in languages other than English] is under construction and may eventually end up on a separate Web page. The intention is to add German-language (and others, if identified) Web materials.
Identifying Books in SAGE, the online catalog, on World War I
Do a Subject search for these terms in SAGE (and Prospector); they will work in any library catalog that uses Library of Congress Subject Headings. Items may be requested from other libraries in Prospector, the Regional Catalog, by Colorado State University affiliates. Subject terms listed in this section have 3 or more entries (these are most likely books) listed in SAGE, but there are additional terms that identify books on World War I that have one or two entries. Also look at related entries. "World War 1914-1918 Sources" identifies primary sources (see also personal accounts of the war for other primary sources, below). When you see subdivisions that end with "sources" they identify primary sources. For example: World War 1914 1918 Causes Sources.
For fastest searching, open another browser window and cut and paste (Ctrl c to copy, then Ctrl v to paste; or top menu: edit copy, edit paste) the terms found here into the subject search box in the library catalog:
From the initial catalog "tab" subject screen:
After doing a search, just cut and paste into the box:
For example:
Identify contemporary sources by limiting your search to year published. For example:
then
next
, then submit.
There will not always be contemporary materials on topics, but it does not hurt to check!
Because there are so many terms assigned to this vast subject, items have been broken down into categories to make it easier to find relevant headings:
The war, broadly (entries in brackets [] are subdivisions that can are added to the main subject heading):
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The war, by countries or regions involved:
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Specific kinds of fighting or intrigue during the war:
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The war and food, equipment, casualties, and medical care:
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Before (and during) the war, chronology, possible causes, attempts at prevention, promotion, and opinions on it:
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Maps, photographs:
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The war and territories:
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Financing the war and various payments in its aftermath:
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Prisons of the mind and the body:
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Regimental and army histories:
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Refugees, relief, work, and life at home:
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Women and the war:
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The war in the arts (visual, music, etc.) and fiction:
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Miscellaneous with three or more entries:
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To find items on a specific aspect of World War I, do a Keyword search for World War 1914-1918 and that topic. For example:
- World War 1914-1918 and shell shock
- World War 1914-1918 and treaties
Personal Accounts of World War I in Books
Personal accounts (primary sources) of events can be identified with the subdivision "Personal Narratives." Some of these are diaries, letters (correspondence), or other forms of journals. Some are memoirs. For example (there are two or more books in SAGE for these subject headings):
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives American
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives Australian
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives Bibliography
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives British
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives Canadian
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives English
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives French
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives German
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives Italian
- World War 1914 1918 Personal Narratives Russian
Indexes and Abstracts (Identify Articles about World War I)
Identify articles by topic in these sources (these indexes are Step 1 of how to find articles). Some indexes have citations only and others have full text materials. Due to the nature of this topic, a number of really good resources (contemporary/primary ones) can only be identified via printed indexes. These valuable resources should not be neglected! Linked to CSU databases may also be found via the "Research Databases" page.
America, History & Life. 1954- . 1964- online. Only one CSU user at a time. Printed version Z 1236 .A48 Reference South (1954-1994).
America: History & Life is a useful index for identifying articles and books. Subject term: World War I. Secondary sources. Resource identifies whether primary or secondary sources were used to research the article. Articles may have excerpts from primary sources.
Colorado's Historic Newspaper Collection. 1859-1923. Collaborative Digitization Program. Colorado State Library. Colorado Historical Society. Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Searching these full text Colorado newspapers for "European War" brings up more than 400 articles. What newspapers in Colorado had to report about the war while it was going on is worth examining. Not all citizens had access to major newspapers--just their own.
LexisNexis Congressional. CIS. Congressional publications 1789- . CSU affiliates only.
Has information on U.S. and state government laws, codes, and statues. Find publications, bills, laws, regulations, members, committees, etc. Search by relevant Congress years for its activity during World War I (63, 1913-1915; 64, 1916-1917; 65, 1918-1919).
Historical Abstracts. 1954- . Only one CSU user at a time. Printed version D 299 .H5 Reference South (covers history in years 1775-1945).
History of Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania after 1500. Subject term for United States is: USA. Subject term for the war: World War I. Secondary sources. Resource identifies whether primary or secondary sources were used to research the article. Articles may have excerpts from primary sources.
Humanities International Index. Varies. (1925 has been seen.) CSU affiliates only.
Over 1100 titles with the subject "WORLD War, 1914-1918." Secondary sources only; no contemporary articles (although it is possible that some of these sources may cite primary materials).
JSTOR. Articles at least 3-5 years old. CSU affiliates only.
Full text articles from broad range of subject areas, including history. Scholarly articles. Search for words in title, author, abstract, or full text. You may select area(s) of journals to complete a search. (E.g. History, Political Science.) There are over 13,300 articles from 1910-1920 with "war." Just over 970 of these are in history journals; over 2500 are in law journals; over 2600 are in political science journals; over 300 are in philosophy journals; over 900 are in business journals; and over 400 are in education journals. Thus it can be seen that the war made an impact in many areas of scholarship. These contemporary sources will count as primary materials in most cases, because this is what people were writing before, during, and immediately after the war. There are, of course, thousands of articles about the war published in later years, but these will be secondary sources in most cases. Articles written by participants about their war experiences are primary sources, even if written after the event (although watch out for non-reliable memories and the "rewriting" of history). As a point of interest, there are over 160 articles in history journals between 1910-2000 with "World War I" or "Great War" in their titles. Remember that contemporary authors in the 1910s through most of the 1930s referred to World War I as the Great War or the War to End All Wars. World War II had not started yet.
New York Times Historical 1851- . CSU affiliates only.
There are over 137,000 articles with "war" between June 29, 1914 and December 31, 1919 in the New York Times newspaper. Not all of them have to do with World War I (more than one war was going on and people go to "war" over issues), so be careful. Within the same dates, a search for "great war" results in 3077 documents and "War in Europe" brings up 10,185. However, it is highly probable that there are many more articles about the great war in the newspaper--it was obvious to most newspaper readers that war in France or Germany was all part of the same overall war, so journalists and headline writers did not need to use the larger names for the war in their articles. If doing research on a particular topic, narrow the search by date and use those terms. For example:
submarine warfare
naval warfare
(Serbia or Servia) and war
(airplane or aeroplane or biplane) and warContemporary articles about the war will be in the database, but selected items are missing starting 1923- ; missing articles and photographs can be identified in the printed index for the New York Times and seen on the microfilm copy of the newspaper: AN 1 .N4 MICROFILM (Journal Room).
Project MUSE. Various starting dates. CSU affiliates only.
Full text articles from the humanities and social sciences, including over forty history journals. There are over 220 articles that have World War I or World War 1914-1918 as a subject. All of these are recent journal articles, so they are all secondary sources; however, a number of them look as if they might contain excerpts from letters and other primary source materials.
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. AI 3 .R48 Reference South
An excellent resource for contemporary, and therefore primary sources about the war. Look up the abbreviations of the journal names at the front of the printed index before looking in the library catalog for ownership (step 3 how to find articles; then do step 4, determine if the library owns the journal). Many of these resources will be in storage (request directly from the library catalog record), so plan ahead.
This resource is a good place to browse for ideas--in addition, you will know there is at least one contemporary article on that particular topic!
Look up "European War 1914- " In Vol. 4, 1915-1918, entries start on page 600. There is a listing of all the subdivisions on that page as well. Some of the subdivision topics include: aims, campaigns and battles, causes, cost, leaders, medical and sanitary affairs, neutral powers, peace and mediation, personal narratives, press reports and censorship, refugees, submarine operations, women and the war, and then alphabetical by country/region. Also look up "War" and its subdivisions.
The Times (London). 1788- . AN T5 Microfilm (Journal Room). Palmer's Index to the Times Newspaper. A I 21 T51 Reference South. (Non-CSU affiliates: if your library has the Times (London) online for the years in question, by all means use it.)
London newspaper. Get a perspective of the war from England. The printed index is year by year during the war: each year has been divided into four, so look for topics four times in each year: January-March, April-June, July-September, and October-December. Be careful to note which "j" (January, June, or July) in the first three quarters before going to the microfilm. In the first two quarters, "m" could be March or May. In the middle quarters "a" could be April or August. In other words, note which quarter you are in and spell out j, m, and a months--and include the year, because the year is not included as part of individual citations (but is noted in the right-side page headers).
Terms to look for in the Palmer's Index to the Times include (some of these are first words only):
- ADMIRALTY COURT
- AMERICA - UNITED STATES
- BALKINS
- British
- EUROPEAN WAR [first place to look]
- France
- German
- Germany
- Italian
- Italy
- LEADING ARTICLES (includes war-related topics)
- Naval and Military Intelligence
- PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS (war topics within)
- QUESTIONS (not all on the war, but a number are)
- PARLIAMENTARY SPEECHES (by name of speaker)
- Russia
- Russian
- SHIP NEWS
- SPECIAL ARTICLES (various topics, but a lot on the war)
- Turkey
- War
- Women
- WRECKS
History Resources || How to Do Library Research
Content: Naomi Lederer