Women and the First World War

The First World War was the first modern, total war--one requiring the mobilization of both civilians and combatants. Particularly in Europe, the main theatre of the conflict, this war demanded the active participation of both men and women. Women and the First World War provides an introduction to the experiences and contributions of women during this important turning point in history. In addition to exploring women's relationship to the war in each of the main combatant states, the book also looks at the wide-ranging effects of the war on women in Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. Topical in its approach, the book highlights: the heated public debates about women's social, cultural and political roles that the war inspired; their varied experiences of war; women's representation in propaganda; their roles in peace movements and revolutionary activity that grew out of the war; the consequences of the war for women in its immediate aftermath.