The First World War began in 1914 and was a war like no other. Over the course of four years, the war raged in northern France and Belgium, sadly resulting in a death toll of at least 15 million. Although the Great War was terrible and caused the fall of some empires, others prospered. The German and Canadian war experiences were very different, but also very similar. In particular, the conditions of soldiers, governments and weapons varied from country to country. The conditions of the soldiers on both sides had their differences but had many more similarities. Both Canadian and German soldiers had to fight in trenches and face the elements. For example, rain always fell on the Western Front and created huge puddles in the trenches. Each group lived in damp, cold, muddy places for long periods of time. Coincidentally the uniforms were similar because both were not made well and absorbed water. As a result everyone had a high chance of getting trench foot or getting sick. Trench foot occurs when someone keeps their feet in damp conditions for too long and the skin becomes too soft and falls off. Since there were many dead bodies around; rats were a big problem for both sides. These overgrown rodents ate the dead soldiers so they would have a continuous food supply. The conditions were also perfect for lice because they could jump to and from every person alive and dead. On the one hand the physical conditions were horrible, but on the other hand the mental conditions were equally bad. The problem for men on both sides was the constant fear of dying or being injured. All day and night the soldiers could hear shots and shell explosions in the distance. It only takes one bullet to destroy... the middle of paper... lose. If an army has no working weapons and the enemy has a large quantity of new ones, defeat is inevitable. When the war finally ended and the Allies successfully won the bloody battle in 1918, the world was changed forever. The conditions of the soldiers' physical environment changed when they returned home, however their mental conditions may not have changed that much. Some soldiers might have endured survivor's guilt until the day they died or felt sad, alone, and angry at having killed so many people. When new weapons such as poison gas, tanks and U-Boats were introduced, the world changed for the worse and the way future wars will be fought. Governments have also changed since then, but they left a number of problems towards the end of this war which will ultimately lead to the deadliest human conflict ever: World War II..