Interchange: World War I

April 2017 will mark the one hundredth anniversary of American entrance into World War I. The centennial is an apt moment to reconsider how this global conflict affected the history of the United States and how American participation in the war impacted the world. In October 2014, nine leading historians of World War I engaged in an online discussion of the American wartime experience and its legacies down to the present day. Participants attempted to synthesize the academic literature on the war and point to promising new areas of inquiry. They also examined the perplexing question of why World War I continues to occupy a more prominent place in the scholarly rather than popular imagination—and discussed the ways academic historians can cultivate a broader public appreciation for the war\u27s lasting effect on American society. What follows is an edited version of the dynamic conversation that resulted