"This serious, compact survey of the war's history stands out as the
most well-informed, accessible work available." (Los Angeles
Times)
Nearly a century has passed since the outbreak of World War I, yet as
military historian Hew Strachan (winner of the 2016 Pritzker Literature
Award) argues in this brilliant and authoritative new book, the legacy
of the "war to end all wars" 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, The First World
War re-creates this world-altering conflict both on and off the
battlefield--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 didn'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.