Synopses & Reviews
and#147;This serious, compact survey of the warand#8217;s history stands out as the most well-informed, accessible work available.and#8221; (Los Angeles Times)
Nearly a century has passed since the outbreak of World War I, yet as military historian Hew Strachan argues in this brilliant and authoritative new book, the legacy of the and#147;war to end all warsand#8221; is with us still. The First World War was a truly global conflict from the start, with many of the most decisive battles fought in or directly affecting the Balkans, Africa, and the Ottoman Empire. Even more than World War II, the First World War continues to shape the politics and international relations of our world, especially in hot spots like the Middle East and the Balkans.
Strachan has done a masterful job of reexamining the causes, the major campaigns, and the consequences of the First World War, compressing a lifetime of knowledge into a single definitive volume tailored for the general reader. Written in crisp, compelling prose and enlivened with extraordinarily vivid photographs and detailed maps,and#160;The First World Warand#160;re-creates this world-altering conflict both on and off the battlefieldand#151;the clash of ideologies between the colonial powers at the center of the war, the social and economic unrest that swept Europe both before and after, the military strategies employed with stunning success and tragic failure in the various theaters of war, the terms of peace and why it didnand#8217;t last.
Drawing on material culled from many countries, Strachan offers a fresh, clear-sighted perspective on how the war not only redrew the map of the world but also set in motion the most dangerous conflicts of today. Deeply learned, powerfully written, and soon to be released with a new introduction that commemorates the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the war, The First World War remains a landmark of contemporary history.
and#160;
Review
A towering achievement. . . . Hew Strachan has set out to put the world back into the First World War. (Niall Ferguson, The New York Review of Books) One of the most impressive books of modern history in a generation. (Max Hastings, The Evening Standard) A wonderfully readable and comprehensive new account of the war that was supposed to end all wars and a book that is all the more impressive for the precise and thoughtful way in which it navigates past some notorious historiographical hazards. (Robert McCrum, The Observer)
Review
Praise for The First World War:
"This serious, compact survey of the warand#8217;s history stands out as the most well-informed, accessible work available."and#160;
and#8212;Los Angeles Times
"What Strachan offers is history as only the professionals can do it, and rarely enough even then."
and#8212;Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker
"Likely to be the most indispensable one-volume work on the subject since John Keeganand#8217;s First World War."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"A brilliant feat."
and#8212;John Keegan
"Quite simply the best short history of the war in print."
and#8212;Dennis Showalter
Review
"This serious, compact survey of the warandrsquo;s history stands out as the most well-informed, accessible work available."andnbsp;andmdash;
Los Angeles Times
"What Strachan offers is history as only the professionals can do it, and rarely enough even then." andmdash;Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker
"Likely to be the most indispensable one-volume work on the subject since John Keeganandrsquo;s First World War." andmdash;Publishers Weekly
"A brilliant feat." andmdash;John Keegan
"Quite simply the best short history of the war in print." andmdash;Dennis Showalter
Review
Praise for
The Deluge and#160;
and#8220;Bold and ambitious... The Deluge is the work of a fine historian at the peak of his powers, formidable in its range and command of the material, written in strong, muscular prose.... The best of the current deluge of books about the first world war.and#8221;
and#8212;Ben Shephard, The Observer (UK)
and#160;
and#8220;An utterly hynotic history of Europeand#8217;s fragile interwar peace.... What Tooze has doneand#8212;a huge, formidable achievementand#8212;is to reconstruct a vast global web, and to show how the slightest vibrations on its threads had consequences everywhere, almost regardless of individual fears and hates or venomous ideologies. The breadth of his scholarship also frighteningly illuminates the fragility of peace.and#8221;
and#8212;The Telegraph (UK)
and#160;
and#8220;[Toozeand#8217;s] new book confirms his stature as an analyst of hugely complex political and economic issuesand#8230;.and#160;Here, as in his earlier work, Tooze shows himself a formidably impressive chronicler of a critical period of modern history, unafraid of bold judgments.and#8221;
and#8212;Max Hastings, The Sunday Times (UK)
and#160;
and#8220;Toozeand#8217;s book is an invaluable account of why the US and its allies, having defeated Germany in 1918, were unable thereafter to stabilise the world economy and build a collective security system.and#8221;
and#8212;The Financial Times
and#160;
and#8220;Amid all the current commemorative news, a clear and compelling rationale as to why it is actually worth going back and looking at the era of the First World War at this particular moment in time.and#8221;
and#8212;Neil Gregor, Literary Reviewand#160;
Review
Praise for
The Deluge
and#8220;In the centennial of WWI, Toozeand#8217;s work affords a reminder of that conflictand#8217;s immense impact on world
history. Abundant facts and figures stud his account of the postwar crises up to the end point of 1931, when President Herbert Hoover suspended debt and reparations repayments. Whatever that actionand#8217;s merits, it illustrated the ability of the U.S. to act unilaterally. With this new power-factor as his theme, Toozeand#8217;s analysis, particularly of fears the American capitalist juggernaut provoked, should spark debate, especially in scholarly circles.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
and#160;
and#8220;A thoroughly researched, much-needed reexamination of Americaand#8217;s role in the aftermath of World War I that will appeal to any reader interested in the interwar period.and#8221;and#8212; Library Journal
and#160;
and#8220;In this landmark study, Tooze offers an elegant account of the reordering of great-power relations that took place after World War I, at the dawn of and#8216;the American century.and#8217; He shows how in the period between the war and the onset of the Great Depression, the United States exercised its power in and#8216;peculiarand#8217; ways, operating indirectly and focusing less on the military force. Tooze draws a parallel between post-World War I period and the and#8216;unipolar momentand#8217; that followed the Soviet collapse near the end of the twentieth century. In both cases, U.S. leaders embraced an exceptionalist view of their countryand#8217;s role in the world and sought to overturn a pluralistic world order based on the balance of power.and#8221;and#8212; Foreign Affairs
and#160;
and#8220;Bold and ambitious... The Deluge is the work of a fine historian at the peak of his powers, formidable in its range and command of the material, written in strong, muscular prose.... The best of the current deluge of books about the first world war.and#8221;
and#8212;Ben Shephard, The Observer (UK)
and#160;
and#8220;An utterly hynotic history of Europeand#8217;s fragile interwar peace.... What Tooze has doneand#8212;a huge, formidable achievementand#8212;is to reconstruct a vast global web, and to show how the slightest vibrations on its threads had consequences everywhere, almost regardless of individual fears and hates or venomous ideologies. The breadth of his scholarship also frighteningly illuminates the fragility of peace.and#8221;
and#8212;The Telegraph (UK)
and#160;
and#8220;[Toozeand#8217;s] new book confirms his stature as an analyst of hugely complex political and economic issuesand#8230;.and#160;Here, as in his earlier work, Tooze shows himself a formidably impressive chronicler of a critical period of modern history, unafraid of bold judgments.and#8221;
and#8212;Max Hastings, The Sunday Times (UK)
and#160;
and#8220;Toozeand#8217;s book is an invaluable account of why the US and its allies, having defeated Germany in 1918, were unable thereafter to stabilise the world economy and build a collective security system.and#8221;
and#8212;The Financial Times
and#160;
and#8220;Amid all the current commemorative news, a clear and compelling rationale as to why it is actually worth going back and looking at the era of the First World War at this particular moment in time.and#8221;
and#8212;Neil Gregor, Literary Reviewand#160;
Review
and#8220;For anyone seeking to understand how American predominance was achieved in the years after World War I, and why it catastrophically failed to keep the hard-won peace, Adam Tooze has written an essential book. Epic in scope, boldly argumentative, deftly interweaving military and economic narratives,
The Deluge is a splendid interpretive history.and#8221;
and#160;and#8212;The New York Times Book Review
and#160;
and#8220;Mr. Tooze devotes most of his space to the war and immediate postwar adjustments and then moves briskly to the onset of the Great Depression. Within that framework, he seeks to elaborate an integrated planetary history. Trained in economics as well as history, he illuminates the interconnections between politics and finance. His geographical purview seems limitless.and#8221;
and#8212;The Wall Street Journal
and#160;
and#8220;Toozeand#8217;s analysis, particularly of fears the American capitalist juggernaut provoked, should spark debate, especially in scholarly circles.and#8221;
and#8212;Booklist
and#160;
and#8220;A thoroughly researched, much-needed reexamination of Americaand#8217;s role in the aftermath of World War I that will appeal to any reader interested in the interwar period.and#8221;
and#8212; Library Journal
and#160;
and#8220;In this landmark study, Tooze offers an elegant account of the reordering of great-power relations that took place after World War I, at the dawn of and#8216;the American century.and#8217;and#8221;
and#8212; Foreign Affairs
and#160;
and#8220;Utterly hypnotic.... What Adam Tooze has doneand#8212;a huge, formidable achievementand#8212;is to reconstruct a vast global web, and to show how the slightest vibrations on its threads had consequences everywhere, almost regardless of individual fears and hates or venomous ideologies. The breadth of his scholarship also frighteningly illuminates the fragility of peace.and#8221; and#8212; The Telegraph
and#160;
and#8220;A genuinely global revision of the conventional view of the 1920s, one which shows how weak the enemies of this new pax Americana really were and how wide its base of support wasand#8230;. Toozeand#8217;s brilliant account also offers much food for thought for any observer of the current international scene.and#8221;
and#8212; The Guardian
and#160;
and#8220;Bold and ambitious... The Deluge is the work of a fine historian at the peak of his powers, formidable in its range and command of the material, written in strong, muscular prose.... The best of the current deluge of books about the first world war.and#8221;
and#8212;Ben Shephard, The Observer (UK)
and#160;
and#8220;[Toozeand#8217;s] new book confirms his stature as an analyst of hugely complex political and economic issuesand#8230;.and#160;Here, as in his earlier work, Tooze shows himself a formidably impressive chronicler of a critical period of modern history, unafraid of bold judgments.and#8221;and#8212;Max Hastings, The Sunday Times (UK)
and#160;
and#8220;Toozeand#8217;s book is an invaluable account of why the US and its allies, having defeated Germany in 1918, were unable thereafter to stabilise the world economy and build a collective security system.and#8221;and#8212;The Financial Times
and#160;
and#8220;Amid all the current commemorative news, a clear and compelling rationale as to why it is actually worth going back and looking at the era of the First World War at this particular moment in time.and#8221;and#8212;Neil Gregor, Literary Review
Synopsis
A searing and highly original analysis of the First World War and its anguished aftermath
In the depths of the Great War, with millions dead and no imaginable end to the conflict, societies around the world began to buckle. The heart of the financial system
shifted from London to New York. The infinite demands for men and matand#233;riel reached into countries far from the front. The strain of the war ravaged all economic
and political assumptions, bringing unheard-of changes in the social and industrial
order.
A century after the outbreak of fighting, Adam Tooze revisits this seismic moment in history, challenging the existing narrative of the war, its peace, and its aftereffects. From the day the United States enters the war in 1917 to the precipice of global financial ruin, Tooze delineates the world remade by American economic and military power.
Tracing the ways in which countries came to terms with Americaand#8217;s centralityand#151;including the slide into fascismand#151;The Deluge is a chilling work of great originality
that will fundamentally change how we view the legacy of World War I.
Synopsis
and#147;This serious, compact survey of the warand#8217;s history stands out as the most well-informed, accessible work available.and#8221; (Los Angeles Times)
Nearly a century has passed since the outbreak of World War I, yet as military historian Hew Strachan argues in this brilliant and authoritative new book, the legacy of the and#147;war to end all warsand#8221; is with us still. The First World War was a truly global conflict from the start, with many of the most decisive battles fought in or directly affecting the Balkans, Africa, and the Ottoman Empire. Even more than World War II, the First World War continues to shape the politics and international relations of our world, especially in hot spots like the Middle East and the Balkans.
Strachan has done a masterful job of reexamining the causes, the major campaigns, and the consequences of the First World War, compressing a lifetime of knowledge into a single definitive volume tailored for the general reader. Written in crisp, compelling prose and enlivened with extraordinarily vivid photographs and detailed maps,and#160;The First World Warand#160;re-creates this world-altering conflict both on and off the battlefieldand#151;the clash of ideologies between the colonial powers at the center of the war, the social and economic unrest that swept Europe both before and after, the military strategies employed with stunning success and tragic failure in the various theaters of war, the terms of peace and why it didnand#8217;t last.
Drawing on material culled from many countries, Strachan offers a fresh, clear-sighted perspective on how the war not only redrew the map of the world but also set in motion the most dangerous conflicts of today. Deeply learned, powerfully written, and soon to be released with a new introduction that commemorates the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the war, The First World War remains a landmark of contemporary history.
and#160;
About the Author
Hew Strachan is the Chichele Professor of the History of War and a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford University. The editor of The Oxford History of the First World War, he is writing a three-volume history of the First World War, the first volume of which was published in 2001 to wide acclaim.
Table of Contents
Maps
Introduction
1. To arms 1
2. Under the eagle 33
3. Global war 65
4. Jihad 97
5. Shackled to a corpse 129
6. Breaking the deadlock 161
7. Blockade 199
8. Revolution 251
9. Germany's last gamble 267
10. War without end 301
Acknowledgements 341
Notes 345
Index 355