The First World War, which in Europe is called the Great, determined the fate of mankind for more than a century. In his new book, relying on numerous testimonies of participants in those dramatic events and only recently made public archival documents, L. Mlechin describes in a fascinating and exciting manner not only the causes that gave rise to the bloody war, but also, most importantly, its consequences. If not for the First World War, the Russian Empire would not have collapsed, there would have been no revolution. In Germany, Hitler would not have come to power and would not have unleashed the Second World War. The First World War pushed the old European countries to the periphery. Bolshevik Russia came to the fore, which considered the whole world around as hostile, and the United States, which turned into a world superpower. France and England, fearing a new war, preferred a policy of neutrality. The Balkans are still torn apart by the hatred of the fraternal peoples. Conditionally drawn borders in the Middle East to this day give rise to endless conflicts. The consequences of the First World War largely determined the fate of even Asian and African states far from Europe ...