This article explores the transformative role of the First World War (1914-1918) in the evolution and professionalization of social work. It analyses the challenges posed by the large-scale conflict, which exceeded the capacity of traditional philanthropic and charitable models, requiring a systematized, theoretically informed and professionally prepared approach. The article examines how the needs of war stimulated the development of new interventions, the creation of training programmes and the establishment of social work as a profession. It argues that the war acted as a critical catalyzer for its institutionalization and professional identification.
Cackov et al. (Wed,) studied this question.