Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This is trojan media network.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: By 1916, the war had settled into something no one had expected.
It was no longer fast, it was no longer controlled. It became total.
[00:00:20] Speaker C: Total war means that entire countries, not just armies, are involved.
Factories, workers, families and governments all became part of the war effort.
Every resource is used, Every decision is shaped by the war.
[00:00:36] Speaker B: Millions of soldiers were already fighting on the front lines. But behind those lines, millions more were working on keeping the war going. Factories produced weapons, ammunition and supplies. Railroads moved troops and equipment.
Farms struggled to keep up with demand.
[00:00:54] Speaker C: Governments took control of industries.
They told factories what to produce. They rationed food and supplies and people were asked to give up everyday comforts for the war.
[00:01:06] Speaker B: Posters appeared in cities and towns and encouraged people to support the war, to conserve food, to buy war funds, to believe in victory.
It was propaganda information designed to influence public opinion.
[00:01:26] Speaker C: Women took on new roles with so many men fighting. Women worked in factories, offices and transportation.
They built weapons, they repaired machines, and they kept economies running.
[00:01:41] Speaker B: They even as countries adapted, the fighting grew more intense. In 1916, two battles showed just how deadly the war had become.
[00:01:51] Speaker C: The first battle was the battle of Verdun. Germany attacked French positions, hoping to wear them down. The goal was not just to win, it was to exhaust the enemy.
[00:02:04] Speaker B: The battle lasted for months. Soldiers fought in constant shelling.
Positions were gained and lost again and again.
[00:02:13] Speaker C: By the end, more than 300,000 soldiers had died and the front lines had barely moved.
[00:02:19] Speaker B: The second major battle was the battle of Somme. It was one of the largest battles of the war. British and French forces attacked German trenches
[00:02:29] Speaker C: on the first day alone. The British army suffered over 50,000 casualties.
Many soldiers were cut down before they even reached the enemy lines.
[00:02:41] Speaker B: New weapons were introduced during the. During the new battle, for the first time, tanks were used in the battle. They were slow and unreliable, but they showed what future warfare might look like.
[00:02:55] Speaker C: Still, the result was the same.
Huge losses, very little progress.
[00:03:02] Speaker B: The by now it was clear this war was not about quick victories. It was about endurance. Which tide could last longer?
[00:03:11] Speaker C: The longer the war continued, the more it affected civilians. Food shortages became common.
Prices increased and families struggled.
[00:03:21] Speaker B: In some countries, people began to question the war. They wondered how long it would last and whether it was waste, the the cost.
[00:03:28] Speaker C: But leaders pushed forward. They believed victory was still possible and stopping now would mean losing everything.
[00:03:37] Speaker B: The war had changed nations, it had changed people, and it was far from over.
[00:03:44] Speaker C: Millions had been lost, million more would be.
[00:03:49] Speaker B: The world had entered a kind of war it had never seen before.
A war where everyone was involved. A war where no one was untouched.
[00:03:58] Speaker C: Next time, the war spreads even further and a new nation enters the fight.
