1914-1918: The History of the First World War
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Product Description
Sunday Times, September 2004
' the most thorough account of the war human hand has yet assembled'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Independent, 3rd September, 2004
'this history of the 1914-1918 conflict surpasses all others. It is tough, erudit and comprehensive'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
67 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I thought this a magnificent book. Its 600 pages are written in crystal clear English, covering the political, economic and military aspects of the War. The major campaigns of this global conflict are all well described, as is life on the home fronts of the Allies and the Central Powers. The origins are well described, while the chapters on the aftermath are particularly helpful. I recommend it strongly to those wishing to read a comprehensive history of the conflict for the first time, while those who have read other works on the War will find many new perspectives here. This book is superb value.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was the first serious book on WWI that I read. It should be made clear, as I think another reviewer bemoans, that this is not a chronological military history, but rather a 'meta'-historical account that examines the war from various perspectives running orthogonal to the timeline. So we come to understand the social, economic, industrial and political dimensions of the war.
I give it five stars because it exploded so many of the pre-conceptions I had held about the war. In the 60s & 70s when I was doing my O-level history at school the wisdom imparted was that WWI was a misery inflicted upon the masses by an uncaring ruling class. I now understand that none of the belligerent populations (with the complex exception of Russia) would have tolerated capitulation by their governments. I learned how Lloyd George as minister of munitions transformed Britain's munitions industry (that was making more duds than effectives) from a haphazard and rather ineffectual club of gentleman industrialists into a unified system of mass production that put Britain back into the fight. We learn about decisive technological and strategic failures and the decisive strategic and technological successes.
One of the most interesting chapters is the final one that deals with the history of Germany's war guilt. Once more the wisdom taught in my schooldays was that Germany was the unequivocal villain in the whole tragedy. But we find in this chapter that there was a long and complex story that lead up to Germany accepting this mantle that was actually encouraged by its more straightforward culpability for WWII. And that the story might yet take another twist as modern Germany starts to examine the origins afresh.
One thing I must say is that I now have read several detailed accounts of the beginnings of the war and how it escalated from the assasination of Archduke Ferdinand, and there are as many interpretations of what happened and where the blame lies, as there are accounts. Counterfactual aguments abound - if Russia had not mobilised so early against Austro-Hungary, and so on, and most controversially perhaps, would it truly have just been a replay of the Franco-Prussion war and over by Christmas if Lord Grey had not committed Britain to the fray. So, caveat emptor, take no single account of the origins of the war as definitive. I think it was Hugh Trevor-Roper that said that the final cause of WWI was that an intricate system of checks and balances that had given general peace in Europe for a hundred years, just suddenly went off the rails, as it was sooner or later bound to do. In the end it was everybody's fault and nobody's.
I give it five stars because it exploded so many of the pre-conceptions I had held about the war. In the 60s & 70s when I was doing my O-level history at school the wisdom imparted was that WWI was a misery inflicted upon the masses by an uncaring ruling class. I now understand that none of the belligerent populations (with the complex exception of Russia) would have tolerated capitulation by their governments. I learned how Lloyd George as minister of munitions transformed Britain's munitions industry (that was making more duds than effectives) from a haphazard and rather ineffectual club of gentleman industrialists into a unified system of mass production that put Britain back into the fight. We learn about decisive technological and strategic failures and the decisive strategic and technological successes.
One of the most interesting chapters is the final one that deals with the history of Germany's war guilt. Once more the wisdom taught in my schooldays was that Germany was the unequivocal villain in the whole tragedy. But we find in this chapter that there was a long and complex story that lead up to Germany accepting this mantle that was actually encouraged by its more straightforward culpability for WWII. And that the story might yet take another twist as modern Germany starts to examine the origins afresh.
One thing I must say is that I now have read several detailed accounts of the beginnings of the war and how it escalated from the assasination of Archduke Ferdinand, and there are as many interpretations of what happened and where the blame lies, as there are accounts. Counterfactual aguments abound - if Russia had not mobilised so early against Austro-Hungary, and so on, and most controversially perhaps, would it truly have just been a replay of the Franco-Prussion war and over by Christmas if Lord Grey had not committed Britain to the fray. So, caveat emptor, take no single account of the origins of the war as definitive. I think it was Hugh Trevor-Roper that said that the final cause of WWI was that an intricate system of checks and balances that had given general peace in Europe for a hundred years, just suddenly went off the rails, as it was sooner or later bound to do. In the end it was everybody's fault and nobody's.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Excellent. Covers the lead in to the war, what happened during it and it's aftermath, including it's impact on subsequent history and the lead in to the second world war in particular.
Written at the strategic level rather than at the operations level it covers the grand themes and is basically in the following parts
1) The Approach to War
2) The War of Movemement
3) The Stalemate Period
4) The Breakding of the Deadlock
5) Peace and it's Consequences
Well worth the read. It told me lots I didn't already know and seemed very balanced.
Written at the strategic level rather than at the operations level it covers the grand themes and is basically in the following parts
1) The Approach to War
2) The War of Movemement
3) The Stalemate Period
4) The Breakding of the Deadlock
5) Peace and it's Consequences
Well worth the read. It told me lots I didn't already know and seemed very balanced.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
I should have enjoyed this book, but I didn't
When I first bought this book I expected to enjoy reading it:
I prefer to read factual books rather than fiction. Read more
I prefer to read factual books rather than fiction. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Rocket Rick
Entire WW1 History
If you want the entire history of World War 1 in one book this is it, from the small political events to shot that was heard around the world that eventually ignited the powderkeg... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Fonz
This is not a detailed battle book - but no less an impressive...
If you are looking for a book about which battalion attacked what position on what day, then this is not for you. Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2009 by Fuzzy Bear
TMI
Too much war, not enough European background. My fault, though.
I thought the book would focus more on the political and
historical background than it did. Read more
I thought the book would focus more on the political and
historical background than it did. Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2009 by John Kent Von Daler
1914 -1918 The History of the First World War --- Superb
I am now on my second reading of this book and am discovering facts missed the first time around. This is a very thorough book which must have taken many years of research. Read more
Published on 8 Sep 2009 by GCW
biased and dry
The book contains three parts:
From peace to war, the war and the peace negotiations and treaty. Read more
From peace to war, the war and the peace negotiations and treaty. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2009 by expert chess player
Not an accidental war...
If you think that the European powers stumbled into the Great War by accident; that the generals were numbskulls who learned nothing from the slaughter on the Somme or at Verdun;... Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2009 by I. S. Barker
Not the first book to buy about the 1914-1918 war, but maybe the...
1914-1918: The History of the First World War
I bought this book knowing nothing much about the First World War. Read more
I bought this book knowing nothing much about the First World War. Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2009 by Clare Topping
If you want to learn about the First World War, read this book.
It's hard work reading this book. It's over 600 closely-typed pages long and it can be daunting to turn a page and be met with such dense text and hardly a break. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2008 by Christopher Wright
Excelent
This is an excellent read - both in its coverage and the writing itself. It is very readable and also covers aspects of the war that ordinarily are only covered in 'great tomes',... Read more
Published on 19 April 2008 by P. J. Dawes
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