Between 1992 and 2001, he was professor of modern history at the university of glasgow and established its scottish centre forwar studies in 1996. I was ever so pleased that it was available on kindle the printed book, even in paperback, is extremely heavy. First, those who point to the heavy losses sustained in fighting on fronts such as the russian in the second world war argue that ideology or legitimate demand must play a role. The great world war 191445, volume 2 the first world war, volume 1 the myth of the great war divisions of massed facts pitted against bold raiders. It is based on the 2003 book of the same name by oxford history professor hew strachan. The first generation of its historians had access to a limited range of sources, and they focused primarily on military events. But the number of typos made it almost impossible to read. This is likely to be the most indispensable one volume work on the subject since john keegans first world. The first generation of its historians had access to a limited range of sources, and they.
This article is about the effect of the war on civilian and military life in the united kingdom, 19141918. The first world war the historical journal cambridge core. The first world war probes the mystery of how a civilization at the height of its achievement could have propelled itself into such a ruinous conflict and takes us behind the scenes of the negotiations among europes crowned heads all of them related to one another by blood and ministers, and their doomed efforts to defuse the crisis. Strachan strenuously avoids the traditional focus on. International encyclopedia of the first world war, ed. Chichele professor of the history of war, university of. Hew strachan is working on what will probably be the definitive, 3 volume history of wwi, with the first volume, to arms already out. The first of three volumes in this magisterial study, to arms examines not only the causes of the war and its opening clashes on land and sea, but also the ideas that underpinned it, and the motivations of the people who supported it. Professor hew strachan is a scottish military historian, well known for his work on the administration of the british army and the history of the first world war. Strachan has done a masterful job of reexamining the causes, the major campaigns, and the consequences of the first world war, compressing a lifetime of knowledge into a single definitive volume tailored for the general reader. Virtually nothing about standard battlefield operations prior to 1914 remained valid after 1918. Even more than world war ii, the first world war continues to shape the politics and international relations of our world, especially in hot spots like the middle east and the balkans. A number of experts offer their favourite books on military history and war. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
The total number of military and civilian casualties in world war i is estimated to be about 40 million. Before moving to st andrews, strachan was the chichele professor of th. He was educated at corpus christi college, cambridge with a b. Causes although the united states did not enter world war i until 1917, the outbreak of that war in 1914, and its underlying causes and consequences, deeply and immediately affected americas position both at home and abroad. The real tragedy of wwi was that it led to wwii, which churchill called the unnecessary war, and the sacrifices for peace which had been made so generously and bravely had to be performed all over again by the next generation. To arms first world war oxford book hew strachan 4. Divisions of massed facts pitted against bold raiders.
Between acceptance and refusal soldiers attitudes towards. Smith, richard, 2008, west indians at war, caribbean studies, volume 36, number 1. The historians hew strachan and michael howard and the journalist peter snow offer very different choices on the general topic, while jeremy black focuses on the contribution made by china, the ottomans and other asian nations to military history and strategy antulio echevarria chooses his favourite books on. Between acceptance and refusal soldiers attitudes towards war austriahungary, in. Hew strachan was born and brought up in edinburgh, and was elected a fellow of the royal society of edinburgh 2003 and awarded an hon. Weapons of world war i world war i is often considered the first true modern war, a conflict fought between industrialised countries equipped with modern weapons. Strachan is one of the leading scholars of the first world war, if not the leading scholar. It will soon be close to a century since the outbreak of the first world war, yet as military historian hew strachan argues in this brilliant and authoritative one volume history, the legacy of the war to end all wars is with us still. The first world war, now a century ago, still shapes the world in which we live, and its legacy lives on, in poetry, in prose, in collective memory and political culture. He is known for his work on the first world war 2003, the passing bells 2014 and doomsday. His promised 3volume series looked like becoming the definitive history of the war.
The oxford illustrated history of the first world war. I was really pleased with hew strachans first volume he covered all the military, political and historical viewpoints in really serious depth, and. This work, im assuming, is a summary, a pocket edition, of what will be fleshed out in those 3 volumes, and as such, it is excellent. Instead, the series began with hansulrich wehler on germanys role in precipitating a 30year war, so conflating the first world war with german guilt in 1939. History of the united kingdom during the first world war. The first world war hew strachan oxford university press. Liddell hart attributed to him a doctrine of absolute war, embraced by european general staffs and emulated by the british.
It provides pioneering accounts of the war s finances, the war in africa, and the central powers bid to widen the war outside europe. This is a condensed version of a larger, multi volume project. Since may 2014, he has been lord lieutenant of tweeddale. Hew strachan s offensive has been brewing for some time. New edition, edition 2 ebook written by hew strachan. Strachan has done a masterful job of reexamining the causes, the major campaigns, and the consequences of the first world war, compressing a lifetime of knowledge into a single definitive volume tailored for the general. Second, evidence from both world wars suggests that disciplinary systems also need to be taken into account. Written in crisp, compelling prose and enlivened with vivid photographsincluding early color photographsthe first world war recreates this world altering. Military developments of world war i international. The second book on your list is to arms 2001, volume one of hew strachan s book the first world war. The united kingdom of great britain and ireland was one of the allied powers during the first world war of 19141918, fighting against the. It is the one volume version of an eventual three volume masterwork.
This article discusses the widening of the first world war from a european war to a global war and what that meant for the participants. You need pretty strong wrists if you want to read it in bed. This is the first truly definitive history of world war i, the war that has had the greatest. Accompanying the print publication of his one volume survey the first world war 2004. His promised 3volume series looked like becoming the definitive history of. For information on the engagements in which its armed forces fought, see first world war. Chichele professor of the history of war at the university of oxford and a fellow of all souls college since 2002, and was director of the oxford programme on the changing character of war between 2003 and 2012. He is a brigadier and member of council of the queens.
Sir hew francis anthony strachan dl, frse, frhists, fba born 1 september 1949 is a british military historian, well known for his work on the administration of the british army and the history of the first world war. One of the leading historians of wwi offers this superior onevolume version of his massive projected threevolume work, the first volume of which, to arms, clocked in at 1250plus pages last year. Even more than world war ii, the first world war continues to shape the politics and international relations of our world. The first world war hew strachan it will soon be close to a century since the outbreak of the first world war, yet as military historian hew strachan argues in this brilliant and authoritative one volume history, the legacy of the war to end all wars is with us still. Hew strachan first word war volume 2 books and book. Singh, gajendra, 2014, the testimonies of indian soldiers and the two world wars. The oxford illustrated history of the first world war new edition. And its almost all about just the first year of the war. Todays politicians, who talk albeit tautologically of an increasingly globalized world, forget how already globalized the world seemed in 1914, especially if you happened to live in london. The first world war, by hew strachan the best one volume history of the war from one of its leading historians. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the first world war. Strachan, hew, 2004, the first world war in africa oxford university press. Strachan strenuously avoids the traditional focus on the western front.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the oxford illustrated history of the first world war. The first world war volume 43 issue 3 hew strachan skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Sir hew francis anthony strachan, dl, frse, frhists, fba is a british military historian, well known for his work on the administration of the british army and the history of the first world war. But the avalanche of detail, battle upon battle, is oppressive. Almost everyone born in the twentieth century grew up in the shadow of the first world war. Tenpart series based on the book by hew strachan, professor of the history of war at oxford which tells the story as never before, dispelling the. Nearly a century has passed since the outbreak of world war i, yet as military historian hew strachan argues in this brilliant and authoritative new book, the legacy of the war to end all wars is with us still. He is also life fellow of corpus christi college, cambridge, where he was successively research fellow, admissions tutor and senior tutor, 197592.
Strachan has done a masterful job of reexamining the causes, the major campaigns, and the consequences of the first world war, compressing a lifetime of knowledge. More recent approaches have embraced cultural, diplomatic, economic, and social history. Hew strachan hew strachan is chichele professor of the history of war and fellow of all souls college, oxford, where he also directs the leverhulme programme on the changing character of war. Sir hew francis anthony strachan, dl, frse, frhists born 1 september 1949 in edinburgh, scotland is a scottish military historian, well known for his work on the administration of the british army and the history of the first world war. Marshall lecture in military history clausewitz and the first world war hew strachan abstract englishlanguage authors have blamed clausewitz twice over for his part in the first world war. I was really pleased with hew strachans first volume he covered all the military, political and historical viewpoints in really serious depth, and it was also highly readable. Entrymilitary and diplomatic coursedomestic coursepostwar impactchanging interpretations world war i 191418. Hew strachan was born on september 1, 1949 in edinburgh, scotland as hew francis anthony strachan. It saw the rise of powerful weapons such as heavy artillery, machine guns and aeroplanes and the decline of 19thcentury weapons like sabres and bayonets. The first world war by hew strachan, paperback barnes. By geoffrey wawro and hew strachan, published on 041018. Additionally, a tiein book of participant letters and diaries a war in words 2003 by svetlana palmer and sarah wallis was published for the series.
Military history five books expert recommendations. The first world war 2003 is a tenpart channel 4 documentary television series surveying the history of world war i 19141918. Training, morale and modern war hew strachan, 2006. Despite world war is reputation as a senseless bloodbath whose military operations were devoid of any intelligent thought, the period 19141918 was historys single largest revolution in military tactics and technologies. The first world war, by hew strachan aidanjmcquade. This is the first truly definitive history of world war i, the war that has had the greatest impact on the course of the twentieth century.
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