The First World War created the modern world. A conflict of unprecedented ferocity, it abruptly ended the relative peace and prosperity of the Vict...
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Mar 12, 2010
Ed
rated it: 
I am not a big fan of military histories. They tend to be much too detailed for my taste. They require a familiarity with the geography they cover and often do not provide good maps of the area being written about. They often do not provide the author's opinion of the events being covered.
This book meets none of the above criteria. While it is detailed, nevertheless the details are usually necessary to understand the nature of the battle being described. The details also help th More...
This book meets none of the above criteria. While it is detailed, nevertheless the details are usually necessary to understand the nature of the battle being described. The details also help th More...
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Nov 30, 2011
Matt
rated it: 
As I’ve often proclaimed my deep and abiding love of history, it is somewhat difficult for me to admit that my knowledge of the great cataclysm of World War I is about the size of a teacup pig. Now, before I get any further into the terrors of trench warfare, machine guns, and unrestricted submarine warfare, let’s take a moment to reflect on teacup pigs: (soundtrack provided by the Beach Boys) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2FUsP6hx...
Back to the horrors of the Great War.
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Back to the horrors of the Great War.
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Jun 14, 2008
Guy
rated it:
A solid effort. Keegan does a pretty good job of covering an immense subject. He proceeds smoothly from the background to the causes to the war years themselves, structuring his narrative for the most part chronologically but diverging when it makes sense (such as in his examination of the naval dimension of the war). If you are looking for a single volume history of the First World War, this would be a good choice.
That said, the book is not perfect. Individual offensives and cou More...
That said, the book is not perfect. Individual offensives and cou More...
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Jun 24, 2009
Bill
rated it:
This is an encyclopedic description of the First World War's military history and strategy. Reading it almost turns one into a pacifist and certainly into a believer in the idiocy, cruelty, and utter disregard by leaders for the deaths of millions of their citizens by European leaders.
Keegan excels as a writer and provides a top down view of events and strategy as well as description of warfare in the trenches.
As a result of lessons learned during the Franco/Prussian More...
Keegan excels as a writer and provides a top down view of events and strategy as well as description of warfare in the trenches.
As a result of lessons learned during the Franco/Prussian More...
Aug 02, 2009
Penny
rated it: 
Great book, a wonderful one-volume account of the first world war. After reading "The Guns of August," I needed to read about the rest of the war. Keegan combines depth of knowledge with a facility in writing that keeps the story zipping along. He explains how WWI went from a war of movement to trench warfare on the Western front, and the why the trenches proved to be so very static (if one side attacks and leaves behind their supply lines, etc, they become weaker and more vulnerable,
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Oct 10, 2011
Roger
rated it:
This is a very good, readable, one-volume account of the military, rather than the social, aspects of the First World War. The descriptions of particular battles and of the military strategies employed are well done. But, my favourite part of the book is the beginning, which analyses the causes of and the reasons for the war. I had no idea, for example, that German readiness to commence hostilities was partly the result of careful preparation, in particular in the form of a military plan by C
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May 26, 2011
Daleb.
rated it:
May 4th, 2011 (May the Fourth Be With You...Happy Star Wars Day)
So far it's an interesting read for all the facts and behind the scenes politics...the crappy political situation of our current world makes just a bit more sense now.
I'm just now into chapter 8 and mostly it's a lot of facts, and figures, troop movements, world politics, a few shipping/naval stories, deaths, etc., and not a lot of actuall, in the trenches, war stories.
On the plus side there are quite a few More...
So far it's an interesting read for all the facts and behind the scenes politics...the crappy political situation of our current world makes just a bit more sense now.
I'm just now into chapter 8 and mostly it's a lot of facts, and figures, troop movements, world politics, a few shipping/naval stories, deaths, etc., and not a lot of actuall, in the trenches, war stories.
On the plus side there are quite a few More...
Jan 06, 2009
Brita
rated it:
I feel like I never learned any history in highschool. Maybe my brain just wasn't ready to think about it til recently... Here's the silly secret: The reason I got this book from my local library is that I decided to reread some Anne of Green Gables and was really struck by her portrayal of the Canadian experience of WWI in the last one... Since LM Montgomery really did live through WWI. And I realized I knew next to nothing about it, not even really why it happened. This book is excellent
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Jan 14, 2010
Josh
rated it:
Similar to his book on the Second World War, presenting a good strategic overview. Keegan discusses the German and French war plans at length. He delves into some things about the war that might be overlooked, but also says little to nothing about other things. Lawrence of Arabia gets only a passing mention. The book ends somewhat abruptly, with a surprisingly quick look at Versailles.
Keegan's WW2 book has a superb introductory chapter about how changes in Europe made both World More...
Keegan's WW2 book has a superb introductory chapter about how changes in Europe made both World More...
Jul 16, 2011
Mike
rated it:
In 2002-2003 I studied almost nothing but World War II, I read How France Votes, a political overview of Europe (the name of which I do not remember), Hitler: Nemesis, The World at Arms, Why the Allies Won, The Winds of War, War and Remembrance, a survey history of Vichy France, and a one volume textbook on World War II. I also, as you might imagine, took a course on World War II history. I wrote the term paper on Vichy France.
In 2005 after adding Army at Dawn and Day of Battle to my More...
In 2005 after adding Army at Dawn and Day of Battle to my More...
Jan 06, 2009
GC
rated it:
More detailed, Olympian, and well-explained than Gilbert's, and is preoccupied with strategy, for those who care. It lacks, however, Gilbert's nearness to the individual actors, his magnification of unusual, grim, or heroic deeds, his way of evoking the experience of carnage while not ignoring the humanity involved. Gilbert's preoccupation, by contrast, is with soldiers' personal writings and poetry, so that while the reader may not know exactly why a battle is being fought, he knows how the sol
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Sep 22, 2010
Derek
rated it:
I knew nothing about WWI, so I wanted something of a general overview. God, what a miserable war. Ambiguous motivations, directed by aloof generals, with no great definitive battles, and a conclusion that set the stage for WWII. The book was boring in places, but I think only because the war was stagnant. Just battle after battle of guys psyching themselves up to run across a battlefield, only to be mowed down by machine gunners in the trenches. The best line in the book was by Captain Lloy
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Jan 09, 2009
Chris
rated it:
Pretty good one valume of the first world war but beware:
1. He refers to many towns and areas in Europe that do not appear on the maps he put int he book. So, I would say he should have used more maps and put some relevant towns on them.
2. He had some pretty weird sentence structure with verbs comeing at the end of certain sentences. Maybe becasue he is British it just did not flow well to me, and seemed to bog down because of that. I swear, there were some sentences that totally w More...
1. He refers to many towns and areas in Europe that do not appear on the maps he put int he book. So, I would say he should have used more maps and put some relevant towns on them.
2. He had some pretty weird sentence structure with verbs comeing at the end of certain sentences. Maybe becasue he is British it just did not flow well to me, and seemed to bog down because of that. I swear, there were some sentences that totally w More...
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Jul 08, 2011
Tim
rated it:
A sobering and disheartening overview of the struggle that escalated to World War, that destroyed Europe and many of her empires, and that led to additional struggles - in Russia, Turkey, and finally again in Europe. Only a book as well written as this could keep my interest so long on such a bleak subject. Keegan is Anglo-centric, but covers all fronts and fields of battle in this excellent overview. Names and geography do get piled on, but it is military history and such detail is required.
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Mar 14, 2011
I only read the last chapter (Ten - America and Armageddon). The purpose was for background research on my great-grandfather for who I have recently found out was in the Marine Corps during WWI.
Not a difficult read, but I could tell that what I read heavily relied on the reader to have read and remembered the previous chapters. Relies a little heavier than I like on quotes to add spice to the otherwise very curt writing, although I'll admit that it's got to be hard to write a book abou More...
Not a difficult read, but I could tell that what I read heavily relied on the reader to have read and remembered the previous chapters. Relies a little heavier than I like on quotes to add spice to the otherwise very curt writing, although I'll admit that it's got to be hard to write a book abou More...
Apr 07, 2011
Rae
rated it:
Sometimes when I read about historical events, I start to feel like we are just pawns on a big board game. Those in charge move us around like game pieces. I was amazed to discover how easily this bloody war could have been prevented--or at the very least fought on a much smaller geographic front.
Keegan's book is an extremely detailed (almost too much for my needs) summary of the first World War. At times it reads like a textbook. But I feel like I understand the origins of the seco More...
Keegan's book is an extremely detailed (almost too much for my needs) summary of the first World War. At times it reads like a textbook. But I feel like I understand the origins of the seco More...
Aug 03, 2010
Sera
rated it:
This book is jammed packed with information about the military strategy of WWI. Keegan also rounds out his narrative with an analysis of what led to the outbreak of the war, to a description of the nature of a number of its military leaders, to how it all ended and what the state of the world looked like post-war. This book is a dense read, and I found needed to be read in small doses, because it was full of so much information.
Keegan knows what he's talking about here, but the map More...
Keegan knows what he's talking about here, but the map More...
Aug 13, 2009
Timothy
rated it:
I read this as a follow-up to Paris 1919. I read the two books out of chronological order, but I actually found that made The First World War a much more interesting read. Keegan does spend a good amount of time at the beginning of the book covering the motivations of the various belligerents, but having read Paris 1919, I felt I had a much stronger understanding and of the causes and effects of the course of the war.
On its own I was shocked at the level of detail of the book. My More...
On its own I was shocked at the level of detail of the book. My More...
Jul 28, 2010
Brennan
rated it:
The human cost of this war was staggering; it's just hard to countenance. "Year groups 1892-1895, men who were between 19 and 22 when the war broke out, were reduced by 35-37%" in France, Keegan writes, quoting a chronicler. More than one in three Frenchmen was killed, and this was repeated across Europe. The waste and death is incomprehensible.
The sections on the Eastern Front were more challenging, perhaps it is just a matter of my need to toggle between the book and More...
The sections on the Eastern Front were more challenging, perhaps it is just a matter of my need to toggle between the book and More...
Nov 23, 2007
Virgil
rated it:
Once again, John Keegan displays his talent for distilling an apparently incomprehensible and complex historical event into digestible form. Having studied the Great War in college, I can say that I felt somewhat irked by the omission of some of the finer, though fascinating details of the First World War, like the Zeppelin raids over England (though airplanes are covered nicely). I also wish that Keegan gave as much attention to the final battles of the war as he did with the earlier ones-aft
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Sep 08, 2007
Rae
rated it:
Keegan is a talented historian who certainly knows the period before, during, and after WWI. He provides the background that led the Allies and Germany/Austria, etc. into the War, the ridiculous paranoia of not only the Prussian and Austrian military elites but that of the French military as well, which was almost as contributory to the beginning of the War as the actions of Germany and Austria, and the way the politicians, not the ruling dynasties, created the War itself for their own ends. Kee
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Jan 13, 2012
Dan
rated it:
A comprehensive history of the Great War, but extremely dense and difficult to digest for a casual reader. Very detailed in regard to troop movements and tactics.
For a more general overview, I preferred G.J. Meyer's A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918.
For a more general overview, I preferred G.J. Meyer's A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918.
May 09, 2010
Kim
rated it:
For war strategists and battle buffs, this would be a great book. For me, while I did learn much, it was a difficult read and rather clinical in its approach. For me, it didn't really tell the story of the human experience - although it didn't ignore it all together.
However, I suspect if I were to read other books on WW1, this book will have left me with a broad context that will enhance other WW1 perspectives.
However, I suspect if I were to read other books on WW1, this book will have left me with a broad context that will enhance other WW1 perspectives.
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Dec 15, 2009
Sandra
rated it:
John Keegan is an amazing writer. He made the complicated events leading up to World War I, and continuing for four brutal years just blaze off the page. I read it after The Guns of August and it really filled in some blanks. He may be an even better writer than Barbara Tuchman. I really learned a lot about the Great War, and more generally about how wars are conducted and what debacles they become. A stellar work.
Dec 09, 2010
Mackay
rated it:
Keegan is the preeminent military historian of our time. His prose is exceptional; his research impeccable; his analysis cool and clear. While this book isn't quite as sweeping as the war itself--its focus is primarily the European front, and the Western Front at that--it is worthwhile, and if you're going to read only one history of WW I, this one should be in the running.
Dec 22, 2011
Mark
rated it:
Really good. First sparked interest in the Great War by visiting the World War I museum in Kansas City. Does a really great job at tracking the impetus behind the conflict and the inner workings of the military brains in the Central Powers and Allies and detailing battles, lines and movements.
Barely hints at the air force battles and the use of gas. Does not go into life in the trenches or generally how the actual battles, space affected the civilians of France, Belgium, Africa or Tur More...
Barely hints at the air force battles and the use of gas. Does not go into life in the trenches or generally how the actual battles, space affected the civilians of France, Belgium, Africa or Tur More...
Apr 16, 2008
Dianna
rated it:
An excellent one-book overview of the First World War, at the strategic level. Although I've had these topics before in various classes, having one chronological history to pull this together was helpful. Professor Keegan covers the war both in Europe and abroad in full - giving credit where it is due - the major campaigns, and yes, the disasters. The invocation of the Somme in particular is great in its awfulness, while the slow disintegration of the will to fight is so readily apparent.
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Jan 29, 2012
Stuart
rated it: 
This is not a history of the 1st World War, it is a
military history of the 1st World War that starts out
by saying that the cause of war was entirely mechanistic,
an unavoidable outcome of the mesh of alliances under
strain, and finishes up by saying that "(T)he First World
War is a mystery, its origins are mysterious. So is its
course." Which strikes me at the very least as a breakdown
of scholarship.
This is a boys-with-their-toys tale of left fl More...
military history of the 1st World War that starts out
by saying that the cause of war was entirely mechanistic,
an unavoidable outcome of the mesh of alliances under
strain, and finishes up by saying that "(T)he First World
War is a mystery, its origins are mysterious. So is its
course." Which strikes me at the very least as a breakdown
of scholarship.
This is a boys-with-their-toys tale of left fl More...
Jun 08, 2009
Lars
rated it:
Another masterwork from Keegan, how can anyone ever hope to write as well as this man in a general historical sense but still include so much detail and substance that it almost reads like enjoyable fiction? Keegan has done it again, folks, and this book should be on every historian's bookshelves.
Jul 12, 2011
Alicia
rated it:
If you're going to read one book on the First World War, this is the one. The writing is so clear, the analysis is precise and it covers the scope of the conflict without getting bogged down in the minutiae. I deeply appreciate Mr. Keegan's scholarship.
