1916, Killing fields, People's century 1900-1999

In August 1914, the people of Europe were swept into the first of the wars that would make this century the bloodiest ever. Seventy million soldiers from more than twenty countries marched off to do their duty. In this film soldiers from all sides give a personal account of the trenches and the tactics--and the terrible nature and scale of the slaughter that shattered the old world order. In the end, four empires collapsed and nine million gave their lives. Some became pacificts while others sought retribution and many found themselves fighting another war only two decades later.