Reviews
'admirable essays ... the book's photographs provide a vivid introductionfor anyone who comes fresh to the subject of the first world war.'Max Hastings, Eastern Daily Press, Beyond the generally admirable essays in the Oxford Illustrated History, the book's photographs provide a vivid introduction for anyone who comes fresh to the subject of the First World War., This is a splendid book ... a volume which represents the 'state of the art' of current thinking on the First World War ... Hopefully, this book will serve as a useful corrective to some of the simplistic views all to readily bandied about in popular books and the media., 'this impressively illustrated volume ... is well worth a special mention because it summarises, in a scholarly yet accessible way, current research into, and thinking on, the causes and effects of the war through the contributions of 23 gifted academics.'Soldier, 'this impressively illustrated volume ... is well worth a special mentionbecause it summarises, in a scholarly yet accessible way, current research into,and thinking on, the causes and effects of the war through the contributions of23 gifted academics.'Soldier, 'admirable essays ... the book's photographs provide a vivid introduction for anyone who comes fresh to the subject of the first world war.'Max Hastings, Eastern Daily Press,, 'framed by outstanding and abundant photographs. Strachan's text is avaluable overall history of the war to end all wars.'The New Shetlander, Issue 2001., 'framed by outstanding and abundant photographs. Strachan's text is a valuable overall history of the war to end all wars.'The New Shetlander, Issue 2001.
Synopsis
The First World War has shaped the history of the twentieth century. It was the first conflict in which aeroplanes, submarines, and tanks played a significant role, the first in which casualties on the battlefield outnumbered those from disease. It precipitated the collapse of the empires of Austria-Hungary and Turkey, and it promoted revolution in that of Russia. The USA's entry into the war and the part it played in the peace settlement signalled the arrival on the world stage of a new great power. The victors at Versailles took nationalism as one of their guiding principles; they also aimed at instituting their vision of liberalism and even democracy; the political consequences are still being played out. In this extensively illustrated book, an international team of experts explores the war in all its different aspects. From its causes to its consequences, from the Western Front to the Eastern, from the strategy of the politicians to the tactics of the generals, the course of the war is charted and its political and human consequences assessed. Chapters on economic mobilization, the impact on women, the role of propaganda, and the rise of socialism establish the wider social context of fighting which took place at sea and in the air and which ranged on land from the Flanders trenches to the Balkan mountains and the deserts of the Middle East. While the war was fought on many fronts and in many different ways, the unifying experience of participants was that of the trenches. The legacy of 'the war to end wars' -- in poetry and prose, in collective memory and political culture -- is with us still, eighty years after that first Armistice Day., The First World War was a war of extraordinary intensity and one which has shaped the history of the twentieth century. In this extensively illustrated book, an international team of experts explores the war in all its different aspects. From its causes to its consequences, from the Western Front to the Eastern, from the strategy of the politicians to the tactics of the generals, the course of the war is charted and its political and human consequences assessed. While the war was fought on many fronts and in many different ways, the unifying experience of participants was that of the trenches. The legacy of 'the war to end wars' - in poetry and prose, in collective memory and political culture - is with us still, eighty years after that first Armistice Day., The First World War has shaped the history of the twentieth century. It was the first conflict in which airplanes, submarines, and tanks played a significant role, the first in which casualties on the battlefield outnumbered those from disease. It precipitated the collapse of the empires of Austria-Hungary and Turkey, and it promoted revolution in that of Russia. The USA's entry into the war and the part it played in the peace settlement signalled the arrival on the world stage of a new great power. The victors at Versailles took nationalism as one of their guiding principles; they also aimed at instituting their vision of liberalism and even democracy; the political consequences are still being played out. In this extensively illustrated book, an international team of experts explores the war in all its different aspects. From its causes to its consequences, from the strategy of the politicians to the tactics of the generals, the course of the war is charted and its political and human consequences assessed. Chapters on economic mobilization, the impact on women, the role of propaganda, and the rise of socialism establish the wider social context of fighting which took place at sea and in the air and which ranged on land from the Flanders trenches to the Balkan mountains and the deserts of the Middle East. The legacy of 'the war to end wars'--in poetry and prose, in collective memory and political culture--is with us still, eighty years after that first Armistice Day. This remarkable book helps us understand that legacy.
