- Hardcover: 388 pages
- Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd (2 Sep 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0434008583
- ISBN-13: 978-0434008582
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 16.2 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,057,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Europe's Last Summer: Why the World Went to War in 1914
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Product Description
Review
"An absorbing history of WWI's origins. . . . Superb." -"Newsweek"
"An enormously impressive book, a popular history brimming with fresh scholarship."--"The Weekly Standard"
"No one has deconstructed the war quite the way Fromkin has.... Through it all are the telling details of diplomatic and military life that make the period so utterly tragic."" --The Boston Globe"
"A crisp, lively, day-by-day account of that fateful summer . . . This book, both decisive and nuanced, is as convincing as it is appalling." -"Foreign Affairs"
"Excellent . . . Europe's Last Summer never bogs down, covers the ground, and makes its points. It is also charmingly written." -"The New Criterion
""Magnificent, consistently compelling. . . . Written with clarity and insight. . . . [Fromkin] masterfully guies us through the complexities of appropriate prewar and European diplomatic and military history." -"BookPage
""The boldness of Formkin's argument is enough to warrant attention, but his fluidity of expression guarantees a large audience."-"Booklist "(starred)
"Fromkin's thoroughgoing account gives answers that only new research and previously too-often hidden records could provide. . . . Comes to new conclusions."-"Richmond Times-Dispatch
""A fast-paced, gripping guide through the complex set of reasons and emotions that led to the 20th century's seminal conflict." -"CNN.com" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
"An enormously impressive book, a popular history brimming with fresh scholarship."--"The Weekly Standard"
"No one has deconstructed the war quite the way Fromkin has.... Through it all are the telling details of diplomatic and military life that make the period so utterly tragic."" --The Boston Globe"
"A crisp, lively, day-by-day account of that fateful summer . . . This book, both decisive and nuanced, is as convincing as it is appalling." -"Foreign Affairs"
"Excellent . . . Europe's Last Summer never bogs down, covers the ground, and makes its points. It is also charmingly written." -"The New Criterion
""Magnificent, consistently compelling. . . . Written with clarity and insight. . . . [Fromkin] masterfully guies us through the complexities of appropriate prewar and European diplomatic and military history." -"BookPage
""The boldness of Formkin's argument is enough to warrant attention, but his fluidity of expression guarantees a large audience."-"Booklist "(starred)
"Fromkin's thoroughgoing account gives answers that only new research and previously too-often hidden records could provide. . . . Comes to new conclusions."-"Richmond Times-Dispatch
""A fast-paced, gripping guide through the complex set of reasons and emotions that led to the 20th century's seminal conflict." -"CNN.com" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Book Description
A riveting narrative of a crucial time in twentieth century history.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Just finished reading this terrific book. I couldn't put it down.
The scene-setting is particularly deft as the story reaches its climax in daily accounts from the Great Power capitals.
The conclusion to the book may upset some who cling to the orthodoxy but it's hard to reach any other after reading this brilliantly researched work.
The scene-setting is particularly deft as the story reaches its climax in daily accounts from the Great Power capitals.
The conclusion to the book may upset some who cling to the orthodoxy but it's hard to reach any other after reading this brilliantly researched work.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Most analyses of the origins of the Great War fall into one of two categories. There is the Marxian viewpoint that it was a struggle between Britain and Germany for captive third world markets, and there is the chaos theory type critique which speaks of the power relationship in Europe spiralling out of control after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinaand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo.
David Fromkin refuses to accept either of these lines of argument and instead carefully assembles his evidence before pointing his finger squarely at the German military machine. Germany, according to Fromkin, was terrified at the prospect of being overtaken as Europe's strongest economic and military power by Russia and wanted to launch a preemptive war against its eastern rival before this could happen. But two things had to be in place before such an adventure could be undertaken. Firstly, in order to carry German domestic opinion, Russia had to be seen as the aggressor. Secondly, their unreliable ally, Austria, had to be in the field in order to defend the Eastern front while Germany's armies knocked Russia's ally France out of the war.
The Sarajevo assassinations provided Moltke and the other German war leaders with a perfect opportunity. They tricked Austria into pursuing a war of vengence against Serbia for harbouring the terrorists who had killed the Archduke, promising to do what was necessary to keep Russia from intervening on Serbia's side. Their real agenda was the reverse: to lure Russia into the conflict, and they duly obliged by declaring a general mobilisation, to which Germany responded by declaring war. Austria found itself fighting Russia instead of being able to smash the tiresome Serbs who were threatening to bring about the distingration of the Dual Monarchy.
Even the Kaiser was only a pawn in the hands of Moltke and his henchmen. Willhelm II was probably the only man in Europe who was genuinely upset and outraged by the killing of his friend Franz Ferdinand. It was easy to give him the role of egging the Austrians on in their crusade against the regicides.
Europe's Last Summer is highly readable - in fact very difficult to put down. Fromkin's conclusions may be unusually stark in their condemnation of Germany, but his arguments are well formulated and present a challenge for other scholars to refute.
David Fromkin refuses to accept either of these lines of argument and instead carefully assembles his evidence before pointing his finger squarely at the German military machine. Germany, according to Fromkin, was terrified at the prospect of being overtaken as Europe's strongest economic and military power by Russia and wanted to launch a preemptive war against its eastern rival before this could happen. But two things had to be in place before such an adventure could be undertaken. Firstly, in order to carry German domestic opinion, Russia had to be seen as the aggressor. Secondly, their unreliable ally, Austria, had to be in the field in order to defend the Eastern front while Germany's armies knocked Russia's ally France out of the war.
The Sarajevo assassinations provided Moltke and the other German war leaders with a perfect opportunity. They tricked Austria into pursuing a war of vengence against Serbia for harbouring the terrorists who had killed the Archduke, promising to do what was necessary to keep Russia from intervening on Serbia's side. Their real agenda was the reverse: to lure Russia into the conflict, and they duly obliged by declaring a general mobilisation, to which Germany responded by declaring war. Austria found itself fighting Russia instead of being able to smash the tiresome Serbs who were threatening to bring about the distingration of the Dual Monarchy.
Even the Kaiser was only a pawn in the hands of Moltke and his henchmen. Willhelm II was probably the only man in Europe who was genuinely upset and outraged by the killing of his friend Franz Ferdinand. It was easy to give him the role of egging the Austrians on in their crusade against the regicides.
Europe's Last Summer is highly readable - in fact very difficult to put down. Fromkin's conclusions may be unusually stark in their condemnation of Germany, but his arguments are well formulated and present a challenge for other scholars to refute.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Not only does this book shed light on the actual events leading up to the outbreak of the Great War, it is a very very readable book. Even though I knew how it would all end (I'd seen the film), I just couldn't put it down. Excellent.
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