Product Description

This narrative history focuses on why World War I occurred, how it was fought, and why it had the consequences it did. It examines in turn, the state of Europe in 1914 and the outbreak of war; the onset of attrition in 1915 and the extension of the war; the collapse of Russia and the weakening and eventual surrender of the Central Powers; the making of peace; and the historical controversies surrounding the causes and conduct of war.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #877065 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

Review
"An esteemed historian, Howard expertly and succinctly summarizes the Great War for the layperson.... Over the next decade, as we approach the centennial of this war, there will be a raft of books and documentaries. This volume is an excellent way to get a grounding in this momentous subject."--Forbes Magazine
"The best concise introduction to and overview of World War I."--Military Heritage
"Howard wraps up the entire war in 147 lucid pages.... For someone who is just starting to explore the war, Howard's book is the place to begin."--Weekly Standard
"A concise, credible, lucid account of the causes, battles, politics, and consequences of the Great War. Howard compresses a mass of material, theory, and argument. His ambition, he states, is merely to introduce. But he does far more; he also engages and educates.... Demonstrates with clarity, craft, and precision that even in scholarship less can be more."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author
Sir Michael Howard has held the Chair of War Studies at King's College London, the Chichele Chair of History of War and the Regius Chair of Modern History at Oxford, and the Robert A. Lovett Chair of Military and Naval History at Yale. His works include The Franco-Prussian War, The Causes of Wars, War and the Liberal Conscience, The Lessons of History, and War in European History.

Customer Reviews

Concise and precise
It takes someone who really understands their subject to be able to write sparingly and still make the reader think. We all know the essence of this, the most horrid of wars. Gas, shells, machine guns, senseless offensives - we all have a vile image of trenches. Unlike other writers, Howard does not set out to alter this image. This book is an introduction to the military history of the war. The Eastern Front, Gallipoli, the war at sea are all covered and a truly global image emerges of powers pouring their lifeblood into a conflict that showed little sign of abating. This is the essence of the war. Howard shows how German victories on both the Eastern Front at the start of the war, and the Western Front at the end of the war, could not achieve the Clausewitzian victory of the Franco-Prussian war. He shows how dogged Allied tactical problem solving, especially in artillery support, and mobilisation of resources, especially in America, enabled the victors to press on to final victory. This was total war, this was grinding, grueling, starving, industrial war, won by deep pockets and sheer determination. This is the introduction to Strachan's in depth study. This is the book that anyone interested in the Twentieth Century should read. This is distilled historical thought.

Excellent, reliable, engaging introduction
If you know nothing of WW1 then this surely is the place to start. Howard's introduction is masterful. Given the fearful complexity of the origins, course and outcome of the War he manages to make his text remarkably accessible. I chewed over many new components. Given the sparseness of the book (30,000 words), it is also impressive that manages to make it truly moving (sacrifice, misery and disaster all round) while not getting bogged down either in the `war poet vision' or the historiographical controversies.

I strongly recommend it. I wonder if he could do the same with WW2? Or has he?

A Jewel of a Book
This book is mesmerising. Brief, passionate, brilliant. The author describes all the main events, political changes and battles in a simple but effective manner.