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Editorial: To End All Wars

It was rather naively—and mistakenly—called the War to End All Wars. And although it hardly put an end to armed conflict, World War I did have a profound effect on this nation and the world.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into this bloody conflict, and many argue that without our involvement, the outcome may have been quite different.

For nearly three long years, the great European powers had slugged it out to a virtual stalemate. The introduction of American doughboys—who began arriving in France in June of 1917—to the trenches finally tipped the scales in favor of the Allies. When the war finally ended on Nov. 11, 1918, more than two million American soldiers had served on the battlefields of Western Europe and some 50,000 of them had lost their lives.

The war changed the prevailing world order. Gone were kings, czars and sultans. New nations rose from the ashes. No longer would war be fought merely between rival armies: seven mi...

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