F309 Spring 2024 World War I: The How and Why of a Tragedy

F309  World War I: The How and Why of a Tragedy
Thursdays, 9:40—11:05, Apr. 25—May 16
Four sessions
Instructor: Karen Wilhelm
Historian Nick Lloyd describes WWI as a “bubbling, fermenting experiment in killing that changed the world.” After seeing pictures or movie recreations of soldiers enduring horrific artillery bombardments in mud-clogged trenches and reading of battles with hundreds of thousands of casualties, questions of why and how the nations of Europe could engage in such a conflict are inevitable. These lectures will provide an overview of the answers by examining the origins of the war, its industrialized nature and the effects of changing technologies, the resulting military strategy and battlefield tactics, as well as the necessity to mobilize populations and economies. The effects of this conflagration extend to the present, making the history of WWI relevant to our understanding of both the evolution of warfare and today’s international system.
Karen Wilhelm is a retired USAF officer with a doctorate in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University. Her academic background is centered on military history, defense policy, and strategic studies. She has previously served as an adjunct professor of Public Policy at George Mason University.