Product Description

On the night of 7 November 1918 French troops at La Capelle, on the Western Front, noticed a soft halo develop in the fog over no man's land. They heard the rumble of cars, then perceived the vague form of a huge white flag: the Germans were crossing the line to seek peace. But who were these Germans and what exactly did they represent? By the time they had signed an armistice, four days later, not even they knew. The Kaiser's Reich had collapsed and Germany faced chaos, while the war in Eastern Europe continued.This book traces the transition from war to peace across Europe. It follows the movement of armies over the northern plains, their collapse, their demoblization, and the effect this had on the material life of people. In Russia there had already been a revolution. In Germany, there were attempts to overthrow the provisional republican government. In Poland new wars broke out. At the same time, there was celebration in the West at the announcement of the Armistice. And the United States entered European politics with a new part to play.Dallas follows these dramatic events from the perspective of five capitals: Berlin, Paris, London, Moscow and Washington. In Berlin the cabarets and beer halls are open, while there is shooting in the streets. In the walled city of Paris, the peacemakers assemble to respond to the call for a League of Nations. Pantomime season opens in London, where Lloyd George holds elections and reorganizes his War Cabinet; John Maynard Keynes of the Treasury worries about debts. Contemporaries describe Moscow as a scene of desolation; but Lenin insists on setting up the Third International. Washington is divided between those who want to open America to the world, and those who would prefer the world to go away.The start of peace is more complex and fascinating than the start of war; it sets the habits and builds the patterns of life for generations to come. This book weaves politics, ideas!
, social life, fears, aspirations and harsh realities into a seamless reconstruction of life experienced at a great turning-point of history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #788755 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-27
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

Jane Ridley, Spectator
`Brilliant…It's quite unlike any history book I know.'

Synopsis
A history that traces the transition from war to peace across Europe after World War I. It follows the movement of armies over the northern plains, their collapse, their demobilization, and the effect this had on the material life of people. The book examines these dramatic events from the perspective of five capitals: Berlin, Paris, London, Moscow and Washington. Dallas argues that the start of peace is more complex and fascinating than the start of war, for it sets the habits and builds the patterns of life for generations to come. This text weaves politics, ideas, social life, fears, aspirations and harsh realities into a reconstruction of life experienced at a great turning-point of history.

About the Author
Gregor Dallas was born in London, went to university in America (Berkeley and Rutgers), and now lives in France. He enjoys writing about both the famous and the unknown, and likes to put historical events in their physical place.

Customer Reviews

Approach with caution!
'1918' is an engrossing account of the way the world settled down, or at least tried to settle down, in the aftermath of the First World War. Gregor Dallas does a great job in bringing to life the leading personalities of the day, and explaining the forces and philosophies that drove them. We are therefore presented with an excellent account that not only tells us what happened in Paris, London, Moscow, etc but also an explaination as to why. It is a good insight into a very confusing period.

However, there are some very strange statements scattered through the book that really should have been detected and corrected prior to publication. Three howlers stand out:

The claim that mutinous elements of the High Seas Fleet at Kiel commandeered a Naval Zeppelin and flew it to Berlin, bedecked in red flags. Strangely, this spectacular episode doesn't appear in the standard works on the German Naval Air Service. The account leaves the reader wondering how the sailors concerned managed to arrange the large trained ground handling party that would have been required to facilitate the airship's arrival.

Later, we are given a startling insight into the history of the Polish troops in 'Haller's Army' which "in 1917, had fought its way to the Baltic and from there had been carried in British vessels to the Western Front". If this happened, with a British Fleet sneaking past the High Seas Fleet to enter the Baltic and then, even better, sneaking past the Germans again on the return trip, it would be one of the greatest maritime feats of the War! I have read elsewhere that 'Haller's Army' was actually raised in the USA and Canada.

On the other side of the equator is the remark that Australia had territorial desires on Timor! In 1918 Timor was divided between the Netherlands (neutral) and Portugal (an ally) so it certainly wasn't available. The author's probable intent was to refer to former German New Guinea (Kaiserwilhelmsland).

So, in summary, the book is a most readable account, but the reader is cautioned not to take everything at face value.