The Great War, 1914-1918

Warfare and History

by Spencer C. Tucker

This book presents a clearly written narrative for the general reader that concentrates on the military campaigns and turning points. It addresses the dilemmas posed by new technologies and the impact of command decisions to overcome these. The author provides an easy-to-understand, concise analysis of the coming of the war. The book also includes a chapter evaluating the war's impact on the home fronts. And the concluding chapter analyzes the flawed peace settlement that followed the conflict and sets the war in its wider historical context.

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

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 20, 1997

Reviews

[Joshua Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great encyclopedic summarization of the Great War. Tucker discusses the pivotal battles, cultural significance of, and results of the War. It is not engineered to be a complete history nor is it designed to be an in depth evaluation of the war. If you are looking for a quick history then look no further. Tucker not only focuses on the perimeters, but also on the roles each empire and country play. He highlights the dismantling of the aristocracy, Calvary charges, and the end of Chivalry. These are the fundamental historical outcomes of the Great War. Chivalry dies when submarines are invented and employed. The ensuing actions of cowardly warfare takes place and battleships are no longer greeted with a shot across the bow. Trench warfare is absolutely unequivocally gruesome and treacherous especially with the old guns and uniforms from the late 19th Century, Poisonous gasses, and the introduction of the plane, Zeppelin, and tank. Tucker provides a seemingly great view of the problems of 20th century Europe and The United States warfare and how they overcame it.

[Bill V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not that I've read a lot on World War I but I believe this is a very good introductory book on the war. It's a short book but strikes a great balance between giving the overall picture and some detail. My biggest problem is that it while there are 12 maps in the book, they are all at the front of the book and I would have to search for the most adequate one when reading about a particular campaign.