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Summary: why did so many have to die?
Review: I finished the book with great sadness for the men who died in this war. For the millions on both sides lead to their deaths by incompetent generals, who didn't understand that technology had changed warfare since the prussian-franco war. Hungry and without ammo to fight because their supply lines from the taxpayers who reluctantly footed the bills throughout the whole system where the stupid if not utterly corrupt ruled. ("now boys don't steal anything") I wholeheartedly agreed with the author who wrote on the last page, "when at last it was over, the war had many diverse results and one dominat one transcended all others, disillusionment." Especially knowing that we are in many ways the disillusioned and cynical result of those lost generations who fought and died in Flanders field. The writing is excellent, the topic important and riveting even now 90 years after the event. You find yourself unable to put down the book, or to cease thinking about the issues, which is exactly what a superb author like Ms. Tuchman intended when she struggled to write the book for us, her readers. It is one of those often recommended books that I simply didn't get around to reading, now I wish I had done so years ago, given myself more time to read more about WWI. After all, that is the measure of a good book, one that inspires you to follow the author's footsteps and read some of her research material, immerse yourself in more tellings of the story she introduced you to. Thanks Ms. Tuchman. (d. 1989)
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Summary: A stunning WWI treatise...
Review: This book gives the reader a masterful portrait of the events that led to the breakout of the First World War in August 1914. Starting from the colonial and royal periods which existed in Europe in the 19th century, Barbara Tuchman introduces the reader to all of the major players who led their nations into the depths of depravity that was World War I. If you want to read what is possibly the greatest book ever written about World War I, get this book!
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Summary: Beware the Aristocracy!
Review: If anyone longs for the good old days of lords and ladies, then one only needs to read this book to understand why countries no longer pick their leaders by right of birth. Never has a book so infuriated my sense of justice then when reading about the deeds of the nobles and their chosen leaders who lead their countries into the Great War. An entire generation wiped out because of the delusions of a few men who believed in the nobility of war. This book should be a must read by any leader, be they President, Prime Minister or King, who believes in the need for war. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand some of the defining moments that have shaped our world.
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Summary: guns of this (or any other) August
Review: The history of war is a history of mistakes and miscalulations. In this case the generals developed their war plans systematically and over a great period of time. A generation grew up believing in them.Here is an inevitable war whose maneuvers and plans were generally known and understood by the opposite staffs. Both sides were confident. All wars are different. But each has, in its own way, a start. Tuchman captures this start dramatically. She doesn't skimp on detail and clearly takes pride in her reconstructions of the "chatter" of generals and their staff. In August 1914 America was at peace an ocean away. Today our oceans are lakes. The miscalculations of others are immediate. A sense of history should inform us. The aims of ourselves and others may only appear after the fact or in a way that blinds us. The 35-day march to Paris took an unexpected turn. The French were saved by an ill-prepared Russian attack, which led to the fall of a tsar and the reorganization of world politics in the wake of Bolshevism. Not the Kaiser's intent, for sure. The rallying of the Parisian taxis is a tale worth retelling in the midst of any discussion of the wickedness of war or its undemocratic nature. Not all war fever is pathological; not every life lost is wasted. These are cruel facts best saved for adulthood. Tuchman doesn't try to spare our feelings with mush. Unlike Ken Burns, she forces us to read. There is no banjo singin' to fall back on here. We are spared the sociology. There is no earnest news anchor with which to co-emulate. We'll have to draw our own conclusions.
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Summary: A Good Look at the Origins of World War
Review: The Guns of August, as the name implies, is not a history of World War I, but of only its first month and the events leading up to it. For those who only have a passing knowledge of its onset (i.e. some European Duke-guy got shot and everybody went crazy), this book will fill in all of the details regarding the personalities and the climate that would leave millions dead. Especially present is the bumbling, in both philosophy and logistics, of both sides and what amounts to a scathing rebuke for the military intellectualism of the time (but of course everything is clear in hindsight). Military planners on all sides grossly miscalculated the values of naval power, communication, supply and good old fashioned guts (Elan!). It is a reminder that generals can never let their romanticism for past conflicts and pride create a denial of the presience of new technologies and methods. Also discussed in the pre-war portion of the book is the belief that the inter-connected European economy would never allow war to break out. This is especially important as modern-day Europe shows that some mistakes are destined to be habitually repeated and that, despite all the bloodshed of history, some group of morons will always believe that war is effectively extinct. World War I seems so far away to most of us. The black and white images of soldiers wearing shorts, dropping bombs from zepplins and riding to battle on horseback minimize World War I as a somewhat silly conflict that is so ancient that no real lessons from that time can benefit us in the internet age. Read the Guns of August and you will see that the causes of war never go out of style.
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Summary: A Classic!
Review: This is the classic book on the first few months of the Great War, better known as the First World War nowadays. This has to be one of my favorite books with excellent narration that gives you a 'feel' for the events, and the author even goes into the personality of the men involved, something hard to find in most history books. A must have for everyone curious about the start of the First World War.
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Summary: A painfully honest evaluation of events leading to WWI
Review: I am not a historian, but merely a history buff. As such, I enjoy learning history from a personal perspective. This book is very good at putting you in the shoes of many of the leaders at the time leading up to the "Great War." It does not paint a very flattering picture of those leaders, but those responsible for leading the world into the largest war to date perhaps do not deserve much flattery. However, I do find it difficult to believe that all of these gentlemen are as bungling and incompetent as portrayed. While, overall, I enjoyed the book, at times I found the chronology and geography of the events being described confusing. Nevertheless, it is the best book of the era that I have yet read.
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Summary: A must!
Review: Interesting to the last page! After reading this, you really have a new insight to the facts surrounding WWI. The beginning of it (August) completely defined the development of the conflict. Mistakes, luck, stupidness, overconfidence, and everything that we can't manage is always there.
The author takes you on a journey that is clear, and to the point, but it also invites you to think. Definitely should be read by all those morons who still think that in a war can be a REAL WINNER.
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Summary: "Paradise Lost:" How the First World War Began
Review: In this relatively short and highly readable expose' author Barbara Tuchman narrates her readers through the complex series of events leading to World War I (WWI). She describes the events, personalities, and personal and professional shortcomings of the key participants that caused the world to slide into our first global conflict. The result was a tragedy almost beyond comprehension. Tuchman describes the series on treaties and alliances that were designed to prevent war. Unfortunately, no one foresaw the impact intense nationalism and inept diplomacy would have on Germany after the Franco-Prussian War. This was matched by France's obsession with recovering the Alsace and Lorraine provinces leading to her unlikely alliance with Russia. Likewise, Britain could not endure Germany's development of a naval fleet. Pleas to stop or limit the build-up were ignored. German diplomacy had succeeded in alienating the two largest powers on the European continent and the largest sea power in the world. Peaceful, prosperous Europe was a power-keg waiting to explode. Austria's invasion of Serbia sparked the inferno. WWI was on! Tuchman then narrates the first month of the conflict. Factors such as war plans, poor communications, unexpected resistance, leadership failures in both the military and political arenas, mistrust between allies, events Clausewitz would call collectively, "frictions," would all come into play. The result was an end to the possibility of the short war both sides envisioned. WWI would drag on for four long years costing millions of lives and billions of dollars. "Paradise" was indeed "Lost" in August of 1914. President John F. Kennedy read this book when he saw his nation sliding into Vietnam and became determined not to let the same thing happen. He died before he could prevent it. Today's political leaders could benefit from Tuchman's analysis. Could it happen again? Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and Professor James G. Blight think so. In, "Wilson's Ghost: Reducing The Risk of Conflict, Killing and Catastrophe in the 21st Century," they outline a plan to preclude a future nuclear holocaust. Reading and understanding the events described here are essential to preventing another such tragedy. The "Paradise Lost" this time could be all life on this planet.
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Summary: Must read!
Review: This book shows how leaders can easily and often make the wrong decisions (often costing many lives) simply because they refuse to believe the truth that is staring them in the face. Germany obviously wanted the war and was looking for any excuse to start it. This is an excellent read both for its history of the first month or WWI and for its look into the leadership of the various countries involved.
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