The Great War

How did the Great War change America (USA) internally?
It was during the Great War that the US first agreed to send soldiers to fight in a far-away war. In May 1917 Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which was a national draft that required all men aged 21-30 to join the army. A major propaganda campaign was initiated in order to encourage citizens to comply with the draft. It was considered a success, with around 10 million people registering with the army. Also during the war, 400,000 African-Americans joined the army. At first they were barred from becoming officers but later a separate camp was set up in order to train them as officers. The 369th Regiment, which consisted of black men, was highly praised by the French army, and were awarded with highest military honors.
This shows that the Great War was the first time the US participated in a major international conflict, and also helped African Americans gain more respect.

How did the Great War change the way war was fought, in general?
New advancements in technology led to the Great War being fought in a drastically different way than before. One of the biggest changes was the decrease in face-to-face and hand-to-hand combat, caused in most part by the development of machine guns, howitzers, and tanks. Machine guns in particular had a major impact on military strategy. Armies that attacked their enemies head on were now at a huge disadvantage, since machine guns could inflict a lot of casualties. Also, improved cannons like howitzers now had a farther range, were more accurate, and more dangerous as they could be loaded with poison gas.
Because of these developments, soldiers could no longer charge against each other on the battlefield, unless they wanted to be killed instantly. Instead they dug trenches, which led to a new kind of warfare called trench warfare. In between the two sides' trenches was usually a stretch of land called no-man's-land, which proved impossible to cross, and thus caused a long stalemate. The Great War also saw the beginning of the use of airplanes in the war. Germans used large airships called Zeppelins, and the British developed fighter planes. In eventual wars planes would play even greater roles.