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Summary: Beautiful, concise with a moral center
Review: The late Mrs. Tuchman, who passed on in 1989, was one of the most "popular"--the in the best sense of the word--historians of the 20th Century. She and The Durants shared the honor of enliving histriography's prose--often far deader than its dramatic personae--with not only writing of genius, but a moral center, a sense of right and wrong and possessing the courage to say so. Few novelist's rival Mrs. Tuchman's ability to plunge the reader into dramatic situations; indeed, some of the most dramatic events in mankind's history in the month of August 1914.Anyone who accuses Mrs. Tuchman of anti-German bias has an allergic reaction to the truth. While "guilt" is an amorphous term of little meaning, there can be little doubt--as Sir John Keegan puts it--that Germany started the war. It was <i>Germany</i> that turned a bilateral war between Austria-Hungary and Russia into the conflagration that destroyed Western civilization and gave impetus and fertilized with blood such noxious weeds as Bolshevism and Nazism allowing to flourish and prepare for a second, conclusive round of the war the Kaiser's foolish arrogance created. Mrs. Tuchman largely avoids the larger issues of the war and focuses on her main subject: the Western Front's first climactic month--August 1914. This month has proved more pivotal in the history of the human race, the reality that you and I live in no matter where you live on the planet. By contrast, the Napoleonic Wars were little more than a reshuffling of human pawns upon a chessboard, rearranging the deck chairs of the Titanic, if you were. Mrs. Tuchman accurate describes the corrupt chaos of the Third Republic of France, a government everyone hatred but no one dared attempt a coup against for fear of the devil one DID know might come to power; of a Germany, who, in Caprivi words, got in everyone's way, frightened everyone and achieved nothing. At the head of all this was a man who, however much more intelligent and better educated than his cousin "dearest Nicky", little less a fool than that cousin; she flatly depicts the moral paralysis of British politicians more concerned with keeping power and "reform" and aghast at the idea of plunging Britian into the type of coalition war she had assiduously avoided since defeating and murdering the "Orge" decades before. She shows the careful balancing act that the realistic Cabinet members (Gray, Churchil et al)were forced to walk amongst their ministerial colleagues in order to bring Britain into the war against a Germany now on the march. Mrs. Tuchman's descriptions of these Cabinet meetings (and to a lesser their French and German equivalents) are as agonizing as the actual events themselves had to be. Only Gray and Churchill, with the longer perspective of history, realized that such mighty concentrations of wealth and military power could not be defeated in a month, a season or a year. As the drive to Paris begins to falter and finally fail, Mrs. Tuchman shows us the few hearts who realized exactly what the victory at the Marne--though this reduces none of the glory of French and British arms--portended. Do not be fooled by a historian willing to take a moral view and willing to denounce evil, incompetence, self-aggrandizement and fools to the sunlight and expose them. Mrs. Tuchman does exactly that. And we can see that, tho' gone these fifteen years, the sting in her words still reaches the tenders spots of those who would cast gauzy revision over the facts. Sir John Keegan's excellent, if telescoped by size restrictions, "The First World War" takes the same position as does Mrs. Tuchman on the <b>fact</b> of Germany's responsibility, more specifically of William II's responsibility, for the First World War and all of that which followed. Any attempt at controversy aside, read this book, if for no other reason than the beauty of its prose and the majestic example of a monograph it presents.
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Summary: Response to "Worse than Worthless"
Review: A previous reviewer claims that Tuchman displayed an anti-German bias in this book, saying that "[the Germans] did not murder, torture or otherwise disobey rules of warfare...." Tuchman herself answers this charge in her book of essays, "Practicing History": "It was supposed because the Germans had not, after all, cut off the hands of Belgian babies, neither had they shot hostages nor burned Louvain.... In writing of German terrorism in Belgium of 1914, I was at pains to use only accounts by Germans themselves or in a few cases by Americans, then neutral. The most telling evidence, however, was ... the rows of gravestones in [Belgian villages, and a marker outside Senlis], each inscribed with a name and a date and the legend "fusille pas les Allemands." The German accounts she mentions turn out to be, in most cases, the actual reports of the commanding generals (von Hausen, von Below, von Kluck) who ordered the reprisals, claiming always that such were necessary if regrettable reprisals for Belgian franc-tiereur activities. Sorry, doesn't look like she swallowed any propaganda. Propaganda of the sort decried by our reviewer was energetically circulated by the Allies, but Tuchman give no credance whatever to any of it. Regarding the basic charge, that the Germans shot civilians and burned towns as reprisals against civilian insurrection, the only "writers" I have encountered who deny them are the same crowd who deny the Holocaust on the same basis. Good company, that. As for the relative merits of Tuchman and John Keegan, I can only say that this book probably will one day join the ranks of Gibbon, Macaulay, Syme, and the other great "literature of the real", and will be read with pleasure and edification long after the tepid and torpid efforts of Keegan and the other mediocrities have faded away. Jim Abraham
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Summary: The Ultimate First World War Book!!
Review: This is a very interesting book. It is a piece of nonfiction, yet it captures the reader in an intense and suspenseful plot that makes the distinction between fiction and non-fiction impossible. The book concentrates on the first month of the war because after August the war became a stalemate which lasted for four long years. Tuchman's writing style completely involves you with the story; her views are very objective, as she writes from both sides' point of view. As opposed to a normal history book, Tuchman investigates the major people of the war to find a reason for the events that occurred during August of 1914. Because of this, the reader is left with a greater understanding of the topic. Furthermore, Tuchman's writing style is very detailed yet comprehensive. This means you'll actually understand what's being said, unlike what sometimes happens with a fact after fact textbook. The Guns of August can replace any textbook on the First World War. There are many citations from actual documents of that time, which raises the credibility of the events. After reading this book, it is startling to realize how much power men can achieve. One decision made by a tired man on a late night could cause hundreds or thousands to die. The motives of such men is what drives nations to war, and soldiers to death. All in all, this is a great piece of work. Tuchman has opened a new view on this influential event, a view that is seen through the eyes of those who made the event happen. The Guns of August makes for an enjoyable, factual, entertaining, suspensful, and surprising read.
Rating: 
Summary: Worse than Worthless
Review: The Guns of August is one of the worst history books ever written. B. Tuchman displays an arrogant and absolutely violent anti German bias in her examination of the war. This isn't history in any sense, it is pure propaganda. The Germans of WWI were not the Nazis of WWII. The Germans did not fight like beasts and they did not murder, torture or otherwise disobey the rules of warfare as understood at the time. No reputable author who has reviewed the war accuses the Germans of anything like the depravity Tuchman ascribes to them. Keegan, SLA Marshall and numerous other key historians simply do not report the war as Ms. Tuchman does because they do not swallow propaganda as truth. A truly worthless book that slants and taints history in the worst possible way. The author's motivations for such drivel cannot be known, but the fact that it is there is not disputable. Historians do, by the very fact that they are human, slant history to fit their unstated and often unexamined assumptions. But no historian should ever willfully bend the truth to fit his or her world view, or be so dumb as to not know they are doing it. The best historians strive to avoid bias, but openly admit that it is there. The key is making one's best effort to avoid it. If you really want to know about World War I read John Keegan. Save your time and money and avoid this trash.
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Summary: Limited but Superb History
Review: This book deserves its lofty reputation. Contrary to my expectation when I picked it up, although true to its title, The Guns of August is not a history of World War I, but of only its opening month, preceded by a background summary. This is an unusual approach to the Great War, although the author herself alluded to it as stemming from her fascination with the "aura" of that one month in which so many illusions were dispelled and in which everyone could feel the old order of Europe coming to an abrupt end. The book opens with an account of the famous 1910 funeral of England's King Edward VII, at which virtually all of Europe's royalty was present and looking very much like the big inbred family it was: not exactly a happy family, but one no reasonable observer could have imagined to be on the verge of a self-inflicted bloodbath. Mrs. Tuckman treats us to a novelistic account of the pageantry, but then immediately takes us behind the scene to the jealousies, fears, and ambitions that lurked on that day. We read about the German Kaiser, bristling with Teutonic chauvinism and at the same time poignantly aware of being snubbed by his royal peers, whose gossipy letters and diary entries made clear the low regard in which they held him and his nation. In a few short pages the author thus sketches out beautifully the psychological roots of the coming war. Still in background mode, she moves onto the pundits of the day who believed that rising prosperity and economic interdependence spelled an end to European war. She contrasts this with steely insight of the military planners in all countries, who seemed not only to consider war inevitable but to know exactly how it would unfold once the fighting got underway. The fatal error the all had in common, however, was the universal belief that the war would be short, won by whomever seized the initiative in the beginning. This "cult of the offensive" gave rise the treacherous hair-trigger environment whereby even a minor and accidental aggression would inevitably escalate as the players leap to deny their enemies the all-important early initiative. The "damned fool thing", as it was described in anticipation by Kaiser Wilhelm, turned out to be the assassination of the Austrian Archduke by Serbian nationalists in June of 1914. Mrs. Tuckman doesn't dwell on this at all, and she gives no more than a clipped summary of the resulting skirmish between Austria and Serbia that set the whole clockwork mechanism into motion as alliance commitments were triggered: Russia leaping to Serbia's defense, drawing in Germany, and then France, and then England, all in turn. She brushes past all this in her hurry to get to what really interests her, which is the titanic early struggle between France and Germany. Once this is underway, she writes like a trained military historian - which she in fact was not - and describes the flow of warfare in commanding detail. Interwoven in all this are telling portraits of key military and political figures among the major combatants. She neither lionizes or demonizes anyone on either side, portraying all of them as limited human beings struggling with circumstances which dwarfed their abilities. The closest thing to a hero in this account is King Albert of little Belgium, whose principled and unexpected defiance of the German juggernaut in the opening days slowed it down just enough to make what was in the end probably the critical difference. The author also has a soft spot for General Gallieni, military governor of Paris, who seemingly alone within the panicked French military, recognized that the overextended and over-confident Germans were vulnerable. Rallying subordinates, peers and superiors alike to counterattack at the critical moment, he is portrayed as launching the maneuvers that drove the Germans back from what they assumed was to be the fast and tidy victory foreseen by their planners. This would have been a much neater and more satisfying story, of course, had it happily ended at this point, gallant Frenchmen glowing in triumph over the surprised and beaten Huns. Unfortunately, as we know, all these heroics accomplished was to set the stage for the years of monstrous carnage that were to follow. Mrs. Tuckman does in fact bring her account to an end here, saying later that describing the intricacies of the entire war were beyond her abilities as a historian. More likely, she was simply bored by the prospect of recounting the interminable and grim stalemate that unfolded in the trenches of France. Considering herself a writer first and a historian second, she was able to shrug off the disciplines that bind academic historians, and she wrote about what captured her imagination. This selective focus is the book's main limitation, but it's also the quality that makes it more coherent and readable that more comprehensive histories of the War. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it
Review: These words are just as true today as they ever were. When I started this book, I was expecting to read about how WWI started. What I got was even more than I bargained for, and left me even more confused. This folly of missed chances and blind loyalty to outdated battle plans left me apalled and angry at both sides. Politically, both Germany and France, and to a lesser extent, England and Russia, should have recognized the coming peril, but did little or nothing to stop it. Rather, their mistrust of each other, combined with their dreams of empire, left much of Europe in ruins, and ultimately sowed the seeds of WWII. Militarily, both France and Russia seriously underestimated the enemy, and instead of preparing for a modern war, relied on grandiose and naive notions of Elan (Esprit-de-corps) to carry the day. The French army even had the audacity to wear red uniforms into battle. This proved to be an unfortunate and costly choice. This book has modern implications, as even today, nations are locked in conflicts, both militarily and politically. My hope is that all of the nation's leaders read this book and if they don't see it as an example of how to stop a war, at least see it as a way NOT to fight one.
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Summary: Truth Stranger Than Fiction
Review: Guns of August is a gripping account of the French and German preparations for an inevitable war (which turned out to be WW I), and of how those preparations failed or succeeded in the first month or so of the war. The Germans succeeded more or less in their blitz into France, closing their pincers in on Paris within weeks after hostilities began. However, timely assistance from the British and the Germans' failure to follow their own plan prevented immediate success, eventually allowing the Allies to push back and defeat the Germans. The detail, magnitude, and audacity of the German plan are appropriately given much ink. I doubt that anyone with a serious interest in history could read this book in any more than a week's time. You will be astounded in reading Tuchman's treatment of the daring plans of both sides, their costly mistakes and misjudgments, their perception of war as inevitable and noble.
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Summary: Considered a classic for good reason...
Review: Tuchman's book is a classic for several reasons. If one does not know much about WW 1, her book is a terrific place to begin. For me, it answered two of the key mysteries of the war: why did the assassination of the Austrian heir apparent so quickly develop into a world-wide conflagration; and why were the Allies so angry at Germany that they imposed reparations that crippled it for years, ultimately leading to WW 2? Tuchman handles both issues wonderfully, in fact, devoting 2 chapters to each of those issues. In so doing, she brings the key characters of the drama to full life, most interesting of them being stubborn Sir John French, leader of the British Expeditionary Forces; French General Joffre with his numerous insecurities; brave King Albert of Belgium; and indepedent French General Lanrezac. Once again, Tuchman reminds us all too well that history is made up of personalities. There are times in which mediocre people rise to unusual challenges and become heroes. There are far too many other times in which people of stature and position sink miserably into mediocrity. World War One was one such occasion.
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Summary: Tuchman at her best
Review: Tuchman's knowledge of the subject (origins and beginning of WWI) truly is impressive. Her skillful research and writing abilities are prevelant from the beginning of the book, and it is of no surprise that this book is a Pulitzer Prize winning book. I read this book simply because I wished to know more about The Great War. This book, although it mainly deals with the first month of WWI (August, 1914) is priceless in that it sets the stage (the key to understanding WWI) for the war that revolutionized modern warfare. If you enjoy military history you'll love this book.
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Summary: A book that deserves its status as a classic
Review: I read The Guns of August hoping to learn about the casuses of World War I, and what I took from this book far exceeded my expectations. As the title indicates, the focus of the work is August 1914--the first month of the war. Early on, Tuchman describes the confusing relationships between the various aristocrats of Europe. Rather than focusing on the usual suspects when one asks "What caused WWI?" (such as Archduke Ferdinand's assassination), Tuchman unravels the web of treaties and alliances that pulled everybody into the mix. Her account of the strategy and tactics of the first month seem solid (though I am no authority), but I was disappointed by the maps. They are very basic and added little to my understanding of the overall strategy. Her strength, though, is juggling the various players and presenting them in a manner that is not confusing but illustrates the relationships between events. Tuchman's writing is a pleasure to read. She draws on a vast vocabulary and I read most of the book with a dictionary handy--she chooses her words precisely and even for me (an English teacher), it helped to look things up. The book was challenging but not overwhelming. Overall, the book has the feel of a well-written novel rather than hard-core history. Again, I felt that I got a great deal from the book. Not only do I have a better understanding of the forces that led to the Great War, but I have a strong desire to learn more about it.
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