Massive Human Suffering
By the time of the armistice in November 1918, World War I—“the Great War”—had gone on for more than four years. Even though the United States’ entry into the war in April 1917 strengthened the Allied forces, casualties on both sides of the conflict continued to grow. Advances in technology had made the war more deadly. New military weapons—including moveable machine guns, poison gas, grenades, airplanes, and tanks—led to destruction that shocked the world.
Human Suffering during the Great War, 1914–1918
The following table displays the casualty data (the number of people injured or killed) of the four primary combatants by the end of the war. Read through the entire table. What does the data suggest about the level of suffering that the different countries experienced? What information stands out to you? Write your analysis in the notes box below. (Click SAVE when you have finished. To see your saved or submitted work again, click MY WORK at the top of the page.)
|
|
Great Britain |
France |
Germany |
United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total casualties
|
3.2 million |
6.2 million |
7.1 million |
323,000 |
TOTAL Casualties
|
36% |
73% |
65% |
8% |
Soldier deaths |
908,000 |
1.4 million |
1.8 million |
117,000 |
Civilian deaths |
107,000 |
300,000 |
424,000–763,000 |
0 |
Table: Soldier deaths include those killed in battle and those who may have died from disease. Figures do not account for soldiers who may have died as prisoners or went missing. Civilian deaths were generally attributed to malnutrition and disease. Exposure to severe weather and undocumented massacres may have also contributed to these numbers.
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