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13th out of 41 books
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Europe's Last Summer: Who Started the Great War in 1914?
When war broke out in Europe in 1914, it surprised a European population enjoying the most beautiful summer in memory. For nearly a century since, historians have debated the causes of the war. Some have cited the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; others have concluded it was unavoidable.
In Europe’s Last Summer, David Fromkin provides a different answer: hostiliti...more
In Europe’s Last Summer, David Fromkin provides a different answer: hostiliti...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
December 18th 2007
by Vintage
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Fromkin has a straightforward and easy-to-read style. This book is no exception. At the same time all the main characters are well developed, and what used to be total confusion in other books of WWI I've read, is crystal clear in his exposition. The main thesis is interesting and believable--two wars instead of one--although not at all definitive in my opinion. There is so much evidence that's still missing, that even filling the blanks (as Fromkin does) doesn't no provide a completely convinci...more
I took a class in college titled Europe: 1914-1945. The final exam was, "Choose one cause for World War I and defend your choice." I chose Russia's early mobilization. I got an A-. That was in 1995. Since that time, apparently, a veritable treasure trove of information has been discovered that really seems to clearly point to Germany wanted this war, created a scenario to have this war, and manipulated other nations into falling into it. I never think that anyone is pure evil, wi...more
The Great War is the seminal event of our modern times and even though it's major reverberations damped down with the fall of Communism in the early 1990's, there is still the current Middle East that was partially made by the Great War
This is the best book I've read o0n the origins and causes of the war since for once it takes into account new documents and on the other it is written very well and clearly explained
The clear evidence that the elites in Germany wanted to defea...more
This is the best book I've read o0n the origins and causes of the war since for once it takes into account new documents and on the other it is written very well and clearly explained
The clear evidence that the elites in Germany wanted to defea...more
Ever since reading Solzhenitsyn's "August 1914" I've been utterly fascinated by the lead-up to World War I. In this book Fromkin sets the stage for the war by showing how the Great Powers and the Central Powers began a then unprecedented arms race. The recently unified Germany became a threat to the other nations, and began expanding their empire abroad by gaining colonies. As the rivalry heated up, the move toward war became inevitable. The political and military elites knew war w...more
I'll be looking for this author's name again. I'm about half way through at this point but am really impressed. He makes history very readable. He mentions previous research and either backs it up with new information or explains how the new information contradicts the conclusions previously drawn. He goes into a bit more of the personal history of the historical figures mentioned, fleshes them out a bit, which makes them seem more like real people and makes it easier, for me at least, to re...more
Jesse Field
marked it as to-read
Macabre literary reference: Joan Didion's husband John was reading this book in a chair in New York on December 30, 2003, when he died of a heart attack. See The Year of Magical Thinking, 9-10.
This book disabuses one of the notions that WWI, The Great War, arrived unexpectedly. There were many factors at work, much politicking. In essence it was begun by Germany, which wanted to disrupt the growth of Russia as a threat and seize as much power and territory as possible while it still was in a favorable military position. The Archduke assassination was pure puffery as an excuse for the war. This is a fascinating story. While the author is arguing against a view held by other historians,...more
Excellent reading for the lay historian, or one who just loves to know historical trivia. I'm listening to it on Audible while I'm reading it and Alan Sklar has a voice that makes you forget it's non-fiction! Since I'm studying the Great War this year, this is a pretty good book to play in.
I was going to give this book 3 stars originally, because a lot of the information was repetitive. But I guess it would be hardly fair to blame Fromkin simply because I have read many other books on World War 1 before coming to his. So 4 stars it is!
Fromkin leaves the issue of the actual fighting aside, for the most part, choosing to focus on all of the causes of the war. The history of the soon-to-be-assassinated Archduke Ferdinand and his wife is particularly fascinating. I also app...more
Fromkin leaves the issue of the actual fighting aside, for the most part, choosing to focus on all of the causes of the war. The history of the soon-to-be-assassinated Archduke Ferdinand and his wife is particularly fascinating. I also app...more
Not a quick and easy read, this book investigates the politics of Europe before and during the leadup to WWI. This is a period I know little of, and the book was fascinating. Parallels with this century are many.
AT LAST! A book that clearly explains how WWI started. David Fromkin is one of the best history writers I have read. He writes history like a novel. Excellent book.
A well written book about the years leading up to the Great War. It is well researched and the author builds a good case that the war was not necessarily a result of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo but instead, an accumulation of factors that had been building over several years.....economics, social unrest, colonialism, and militarism. Very well done and required reading for the scholar of turn of the 20th century European history.
Another outstanding book from Fromkin. I can't say enough about how readable his prose is, and his argument about the outbreak of the war is persuasive, at the same time that he lays out all the facts available and allows the reader to make up her own mind.
Cracking good read by the guy who brought us "A Peace to End All Peace." Fromkin describes the era's systemic environment as turbulent, dangerous and, in retrospect, only the backdrop to the conflict. Most of the conventional wisdom fails to address the question of why the Great War came in August'14. Fromkin illustrates the most proximate causes of "why this war." Good stuff.
Fascinating history of the First World War. Tells the story in the form of a murder mystery, and explains how demographic, military, political, and economic factors came together to cause the Great War. Interesting and fast-paced writing style, and very well researched.
Quite good but ends a little short. I would have wanted a little more insight and a little less historians have found this and this, others this and that. He doesn't really take a stand. Which is a little annoying for me.
I forced myself to slog through the first 50 pages of this one. The author spent this entire time rehashing the "Well, duh!" points of what caused The Great War, in the dullest, droning voice imaginable. Skip it.
Fabulous book. It really explains why World War I really set the stage for the whole 20th century. Incredibly well written and interesting.
It is a great history of 1914 as well as the events causing and leading up to the First World War.
Madhuri
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| History book or Mystery book? | 1 | 5 | Oct 12, 2008 12:59pm |
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David Fromkin is a noted author, lawyer, and historian, best known for his historical account on the Middle East, A Peace to End All Peace (1989), in which he recounts the role European powers played between 1914 and 1922 in creating the modern Middle East. The book was a finalist for both the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Fromkin has written seven books in total, with...more
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