World War I: American Legacy

Narrated by David Carradine, this poignant film reveals the true cost of World War I. The forgotten soldiers whose graves were never marked, the expense of human life and the immense suffering of those who did survive (for every man who was killed, three men were maimed, injured or driven mad). World War I sucked up millions of dollars and swamped many governments in debt. Estimates of cost amount to a staggering $190 billion dollars. But how did this diabolical destruction commence? How did the 'Great War' come to the front doorstep of the United States? It began with two pivotal murders. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and his wife Sophie were murdered publicly by activists in the city of Sarajevo. The Austro-Hungarians declared war when the Serbians refused to allow their officials to investigate the murders. The situation escalated when the surrounding allied countries became involved. Russia came to the aid of the Serbians and the Germans supported the Austro-Hungarians. On Aug 1 1914, the Germans declared war on Russia. As the British would not tolerate a mobilized German army so close to them across the English Channel, the Great British Empire declared war after the German army invaded