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84th out of 548 books
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386 voters
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The Zimmermann Telegram
In January of 1917, the war in Europe was, at best, a tragic standoff. Britain knew that Europe could be saved only if the United States joined the war. But President Wilson was unshakable in his neutrality and in his efforts to mediate peace. Then, with a single stroke, the tool to propel the United States into World War I came into a quiet British office. One of countles...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
June 6th 1996
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1958)
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There is something very strange about the First World War. I mean, surely there must be something I previously knew about it that must be true.
The $64,000 question is: what event brought the United States into the First World War…..
Before reading this book I would have said that it was the sinking of the Lusitania that brought the US into the war – but in fact, that happened two years prior to the US entry. Woodrow Wilson, following this sinking, said he was too proud t...more
The $64,000 question is: what event brought the United States into the First World War…..
Before reading this book I would have said that it was the sinking of the Lusitania that brought the US into the war – but in fact, that happened two years prior to the US entry. Woodrow Wilson, following this sinking, said he was too proud t...more
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I recently criticized a book on this site for trying to tell a history by jumping around, and said that it takes a very good writer to make that work. Barbara Tuchman has that skill. She tells a very complicated story with a very diverse cast, and keeps everything straight and lucid.
Now, that might be enough for four stars, but Tuchman does all this by making the whole thing sensible as well. You understand why people took the actions they did. You understand why people make the...more
Now, that might be enough for four stars, but Tuchman does all this by making the whole thing sensible as well. You understand why people took the actions they did. You understand why people make the...more
British ciphering skills, German craziness, the idea of Mexico invading the US to keep the Americans from entering WWI----truth really is stranger than fiction---what's not to like. Tuchman is such a great writer! More once I've finished it.
Finished the book, appropriately enough on Memorial Day. This is a short book, only 200 pages, but is packed with research and the writer paints an amazing picture of Woodrow Wilson, whose pacifism bordered on the insane (to me anyway). There is beau...more
Finished the book, appropriately enough on Memorial Day. This is a short book, only 200 pages, but is packed with research and the writer paints an amazing picture of Woodrow Wilson, whose pacifism bordered on the insane (to me anyway). There is beau...more
Fascinating insight into the state of mind of the German and US governments and the American people at this crucial moment in the WW1 as well as a thrilling read.
I have read several books on the First World War but have never really been able to understand the mindset of the people who brought about so much human suffering. I picked the book off the shelf looking for a good spy story but I got so much more from it. I will be reading more Tuchman very soon.
It would have ...more
I have read several books on the First World War but have never really been able to understand the mindset of the people who brought about so much human suffering. I picked the book off the shelf looking for a good spy story but I got so much more from it. I will be reading more Tuchman very soon.
It would have ...more
I am fascinated by the fact that "history" often happens because of seemingly small, uneventful, accidental or coincidental events.
Tuchman, one of my favorite historian/authors, tells the story of the happenstance that got the United States into World War I--despite President Wilson's firm stance of neutrality. The British, having cracked the German code, had intercepted a telegram filled with the promise of an alliance between Mexico and Japan against America. How could t...more
Tuchman, one of my favorite historian/authors, tells the story of the happenstance that got the United States into World War I--despite President Wilson's firm stance of neutrality. The British, having cracked the German code, had intercepted a telegram filled with the promise of an alliance between Mexico and Japan against America. How could t...more
Barbara Tuchman is a very good historian who lays out the steps on how the USA entered WWI. Her analysis of how German arrogance and mis-calculation so angered the USA that the USA declared war. The style is easy to read and the facts are well presented so that the reader can grasp how the events evolved into their ultimate conclusion. If you wish to learn how WWI first started in 1914, please read Ms. Tuchman's book, THE GUNS OF AUGUST. It is truly fascinating and one of the best history bo...more
Purchasing this book at the Harvard Co-op cost me my first marriage. Really! Tuchman is the best writer of history ever. No one comes even close to matching her engaging style. By droning on about the minutiae of the lives of persons great and small, she somehow manages to convey the bigger picture. Also, Barb is not shy to reveal her own ideological biases. At least that's my impression.
I did my first libray pathfinder in undergrad library program @ UNO. I think I got a B+, but it introuduced me to Barbara Tuchman, and World War I. This telegram helped to bring USA into WWI. The Mexican government promised to help Germany and would receive most of the Lousiana Purchase back!! (if the Germans won the war). Think about it. Read & reviewed Jan 1973 in Omaha.
Unbelievably good writer of history, and it appears her research is impeccable. The arguments, as always, seem to be about her conclusions (per some of her peers when I googled her), which is true of all good historians. As a layperson, once assured of her credentials, all I need to do is read the book, learn something extraordinary about the history I thought I knew, and enjoy.
Amblingbooks.com
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
available-on-audio,
history
"A true, lucid thriller....Mrs. Tuchman makes the most of it with a creative writer's sense of drama and a scholar's obeisance to the evidence."-New York Times
Listen to The Zimmermann Telegram on your smartphone.
Listen to The Zimmermann Telegram on your smartphone.
I am uncertain about my opinion on this book because first of all I am not a native English speaker. I think that the World War I was very finely documented, yet I found it very hard to keep track of every event described; that is why I gave it 4/5. I am certain of one thing: I am going to read it again.
Bill Dumoulin
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history buffs.
Shelves:
history-general
I enjoyed this story very much. It tells the story of German attempts to keep the US out of WWI by trying to goad Mexico and Japan into keeping the US too busy to make them enter the war against Germany. Wilson, President at that time, wanted to get the warring factions to sit down and discuss peace. The British discovered the German activities and plans by breaking down the telegrams sent from Berlin to Washington. The book deals with British plans to break the news of the German plots against ...more
I listened to this on the way home from UT; it was narrated by Wanda McCaddon. I don't know that much about WWI, and this looked interesting. It didn't disappoint. I enjoyed the narration and learned some interesting facts about The Great War. I look forward to reading more on the subject.
English code-readers learning that Germany is trying to push Mexico into war with the United States to keep us from helping England? What's not to like in this story of intrigue? It does get a bit tedious at points as Tuchman slogs through loads of details and names, but she was a great writer who brought historical figures to life while drawing together the details of history to create gripping stories.
Barbara Tuchman, always an elegant and beautiful writer, tells the (I suspect) little known story of what actually compelled Wilson to join WWI. A 'must-read' for those interested in American history or WWI/European history.
This was very detailed, and I thought it was written more for historians than for the average reader. This is how Tuchman earned her reputation, but she went on to write much more engaging books.
A little confusing at first, but picked up speed. Very interesting history on WW1 where the Germans sought to entangle the US in a war with Japan and Mexico, to keep us out of Europe.
A riveting account of the events that finally dragged Woodrow Wilson and the U.S.A. into the First World War. Espionage, World Politics and History - a great read!
I know practically nothing about WWI, so this was a very educational book. I had no idea Mexico played such a role in the US's entry into the war. Lots of names and dates which I usually don't like, but even so, I found it very interesting.
I love this book about the fateful telegram that brought the U.S. into World War I. Wonderful piece of history and a wonderful portrait of the times.
This book reads like a spy novel, which indeed it is, only true and as gripping as anything fictional I've read.
It describes how English intelligence broke the German code and finally uncovered the Zimmerman Telegram (an offer by the Germans to aid Mexico in recapturing territory lost to the US) which finally brought America into the WWI. Intertwined in the story are drunken Mexican dictators, Eastern European spy networks (hated the Germans), fears of Japanese intervention in Mexico ...more
It describes how English intelligence broke the German code and finally uncovered the Zimmerman Telegram (an offer by the Germans to aid Mexico in recapturing territory lost to the US) which finally brought America into the WWI. Intertwined in the story are drunken Mexican dictators, Eastern European spy networks (hated the Germans), fears of Japanese intervention in Mexico ...more
Peter Edwards
added it
Wonderful book. Takes one thin thread and follows it, to help explain something huge.
Read this book in 2003. Anything that Tuchman writes is going to be good.
I'm low on info about WWI, so I was bound to learn a thing or two from Barbara Tuchman. Lots of intrigue surrounding the world players involved in the events leading up to America's entry into the war, despite Wilson's best efforts to keep us out. The Germans, in their clouded judgment, actually thought that the Brits wouldn't intercept their telegram, though it was sent across Allied cable lines to the German ambassador in America announcing their commencement of U-Boat warfare against the All...more
Not The Guns of August, but Tuchman sure can make history fun.
first i knew what people should did
Terrific in every way.
Paperback
Oh, those clever Germans...not!
Zachary
rated it
Recommends it for:
Those interested in the clandestine politics of the early 20th century.
Shelves:
nonfiction
Tuchman's greatest skill is in keeping the reader on the edge of their seat even though they know the ending. Sure, America enters WW1 against Germany, this is common knowledge. Yet Tuchman kept me rapt in awe of the diplomatic game played within and without of America as if I had never heard the story before.
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Barbara Wertheim Tuchman was an American self-trained historian and author. She became best known for The Guns of August, a history of the prelude and first month of World War I.
As an author, Tuchman focused on producing popular history. Her clear, dramatic storytelling covered topics as diverse as the 14th century and World War I, and sold millions of copies.
More about Barbara W. Tuchman...
As an author, Tuchman focused on producing popular history. Her clear, dramatic storytelling covered topics as diverse as the 14th century and World War I, and sold millions of copies.
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“Had all the world been a school and Wilson its principal, he would have been the greatest statesman in history.”
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