World War I was a global war from 1914 to 1918 on the land, at sea, and in the air among many countries on several continents. At the same time, it was the first total war involving millions of soldiers on the battlefields and millions of civilians in the war economy. Many Croats also participated, suffered, and were killed at war. In the hell of terrible collisions, the world order that had existed for many decades before the outbreak of war collapsed. Some old empires ceased to live, and many new states were established. Europe was slowly losing its leading role, and the United States emerged as a global power for the first time. Centuries-long Habsburg rule disappeared, and the Croatian lands entered the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It resulted from the idea of South Slavic unification on the one hand and the price for avoiding the division of Croatian lands after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary on the other. The course aims to acquaint students with general features, problems, and processes in Croatia, Europe, and the rest of the world during the Great War in a comparative perspective from inside and outside, from above and below. In a series of lectures and seminars, students will analyze international relations before the war, evaluate the origins of global catastrophe, and discuss the polarization of Europe before the conflict.

Furthermore, they will acquire problem-oriented knowledge about the beginning, significant events, and the end of the war by comparing the stalemate and slaughter in the trenches with the growing challenges and impacts at the Home Front. Special attention will be devoted to considering details from the Croatian history of that time. Finally, the students will gain insight into the consequences of the First World War and the widening tensions after the global, European, and Croatian peace settlement.