World War I: the Homefront [1.16]

In the second part of our examination of World War I, we focus on the experiences of ordinary people.  The episode begins with a discussion of the life of soldiers, from the moment of mobilization in 1914 to the long days spent in the trenches in between battles.  Find out what their major challenges were, and some of the things they did to overcome them.  The second half of the episodes switches focus to the war behind the lines - i.e. the "Home-front," showing how ordinary Germans, Britons and Frenchmen (among others) dealt with the hardships and consequences caused by the conflict.  We end with a discussion of the optimism generated in the Central Powers in the spring of 1918, and the crushing defeats and collapses that followed in the late summer and fall.Support the showFor more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com!   Or you can support the  show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.