The First World War: A Concise Global History

by William Kelleher Storey

In a compact but comprehensive and clear narrative, this book explores the First World War from a genuinely global perspective. Putting a human face on the war, William Kelleher Storey takes into account individual decisions and experiences as well as environmental and technological factors such as food, geography, manpower, and weapons. He argues that the war profoundly changed the ways in which people imagined the landscape around them and thought about technology and the environment. Before the war, Europe and its colonies generally regarded industrial technology as an instrument of modernity; the landscape existed to be conquered, divided, and ruled. During and after the war, the costs of conquest became much higher, raising significant doubts about the value of progress. Soldiers experienced profound personal degradation, physical injuries, and mental collapse in the midst of nightmarish, technologically induced environmental conditions, which they vividly remembered when they formed new identities in the postwar world. Although people did not abandon thoughts of technological advance, after the war they had a keener sense of modernity's costs. Without neglecting traditional themes, Storey's deft interweaving of the role of environment and technology enriches our understanding of the social, political, and military history of the war, not only in Europe, but throughout the world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, World War I, Politics

206 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2010

Reviews

[Parker LeClerc]

This book explores the environmental and technological themes that persist in WWI. While it is a no-fluff history book, it is easy to read and follow. The book also does a good job to address non-European fronts of the war.

[Aaron Anderson]

Digestible, familiar, and detailed, The First World War is a fantastic survey of the conflict.

[Loran Skinkis]

Really good so far. Connects the events of the World War I to the happening of modern day conflicts as well as adding a lot of details I never knew about the war. Started reading this on Memorial Day 2012.

[Janet E. Rash]

First

A readable history of a complicated situation. WW1 need not have happened at all, but dreams of additions to empires twisted the political vision of leaders into dreams of glory on the world stage. The war itself was a mess of suffering and ignominious death.

[Kenneth]

concise survey of the conflict.

[Christopher Allen]

WWI

WWI was a laughable clash of colonial egos, a tragic loss of life, and a sad illustration of the immorality of war even in the 20th century.