Now this war is called the First World War. And this is truly the first such war, forever dividing the history of mankind into “before” and “after”. The First World War was also the first modern war: for the first time, deaths counted in the millions, for the first time weapons of mass destruction were used, for the first time a war was fought on land, at sea, and in the air. The major military historian John Keegan, having painstakingly and accurately restored the chronology of events and impartially analyzed all the facts and evidence, was able to deeply understand the causes of the conflict and sum up its final results. Keegan's book, brilliantly written and detailed, became a new word in the history of the First World War. Cover design by S. Karpukhin. On the cover: a British tank overcomes a trench during the Battle of Cambrai - the first battle in history using a large number of tanks. Late November - early December 1917. Universal Images Group / Diomedia.com.