A Mad Catastrophe

A Mad Catastrophe PDF Author: Geoffrey Wawro
Publisher: Basic Civitas Books
ISBN: 9780465028351
Category : HISTORY
Languages : en
Pages : 440

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Book Description
An award-winning historian charts the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, describing the cumulative effects of repression, cynicism and corruption along with ill-fated alliances with Constantinople and conflicts with the Serbs ahead of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. 25,000 first printing.

A Mad Catastrophe

A Mad Catastrophe PDF Author: Geoffrey Wawro
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465080812
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 472

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Book Description
A prizewinning military historian explores a critical but overlooked cause for World War I: the staggering decrepitude of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

A Mad Catastrophe

A Mad Catastrophe PDF Author: Geoffrey Wawro
Publisher: Basic Civitas Books
ISBN: 9780465028351
Category : HISTORY
Languages : en
Pages : 440

Get Book

Book Description
An award-winning historian charts the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, describing the cumulative effects of repression, cynicism and corruption along with ill-fated alliances with Constantinople and conflicts with the Serbs ahead of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. 25,000 first printing.

Sons of Freedom

Sons of Freedom PDF Author: Geoffrey Wawro
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465093922
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 712

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Book Description
The "stirring," definitive history of America's decisive role in winning World War I (Wall Street Journal). The American contribution to World War I is one of the great stories of the twentieth century, and yet it has all but vanished from view. Historians have dismissed the American war effort as largely economic and symbolic. But as Geoffrey Wawro shows in Sons of Freedom, the French and British were on the verge of collapse in 1918, and would have lost the war without the Doughboys. Field Marshal Douglas Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force, described the Allied victory as a "miracle" -- but it was a distinctly American miracle. In Sons of Freedom, prize-winning historian Geoffrey Wawro weaves together in thrilling detail the battles, strategic deliberations, and dreadful human cost of the American war effort. A major revision of the history of World War I, Sons of Freedom resurrects the brave heroes who saved the Allies, defeated Germany, and established the United States as the greatest of the great powers.

The Enemy at the Gate

The Enemy at the Gate PDF Author: Andrew Wheatcroft
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1409086828
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
In 1683, two empires - the Ottoman, based in Constantinople, and the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna - came face to face in the culmination of a 250-year power struggle: the Great Siege of Vienna. Within the city walls the choice of resistance over surrender to the largest army ever assembled by the Turks created an all-or-nothing scenario: every last survivor would be enslaved or ruthlessly slaughtered. The Turks had set their sights on taking Vienna, the city they had long called 'The Golden Apple' since their first siege of the city in 1529. Both sides remained resolute, sustained by hatred of their age-old enemy, certain that their victory would be won by the grace of God. Eastern invaders had always threatened the West: Huns, Mongols, Goths, Visigoths, Vandals and many others. The Western fears of the East were vivid and powerful and, in their new eyes, the Turks always appeared the sole aggressors. Andrew Wheatcroft's extraordinary book shows that this belief is a grievous oversimplification: during the 400 year struggle for domination, the West took the offensive just as often as the East. As modern Turkey seeks to re-orient its relationship with Europe, a new generation of politicians is exploiting the residual fears and tensions between East and West to hamper this change. The Enemy at the Gate provides a timely and masterful account of this most complex and epic of conflicts.

The Legacy of Serbia's Great War

The Legacy of Serbia's Great War PDF Author: Alex Tomić
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 1805392344
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 486

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Book Description
In the winter of 1915, following the invasion of Serbia by the Central Powers, the Serbian Army retreated across the mountains of Albania and Montenegro together with thousands of civilians. Around 240,000 lost their lives. Today, the story of the retreat is little known, except in Serbia where it is represents the heroic Serbian sacrifice in the Great War. In this book Alex Tomić examines the centenary events memorializing the First World War with the retreat at its core, and provides a persuasive account of the ways in which the remembrance of Serbian history has been manipulated for political purposes. Whether through commemorations, ceremonies, or grass- root initiatives, she demonstrates how these have been used as distractions from the more recent unexamined past and in doing so provides an important new perspective on the cultural history of commemoration.

Turning Points

Turning Points PDF Author: Richard L. DiNardo
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440844542
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive and illuminating study of some of the most crucial campaigns on the Eastern Front during what was perhaps the most momentous year of World War I in that battleground. Turning Points: The Eastern Front in 1915 offers a well-researched and fascinating study of war in a distinct theater of operations and shows how it was impacted by diplomacy, coalition warfare, command, technology, and the environment in which it is conducted. In contrast to those on the Western Front, lines in the east in 1915 moved hundreds of miles. Although the work focuses more on the Central Powers, significant attention is also given to the Russians. The book follows the course of events on the Eastern Front during the critical year of 1915, proceeding chronologically from January 1915 to the end of active operations in October, with a brief mention of some action in December. In addition to the better-known campaigns in the Carpathians and Gorlice-Tarnów, the work covers lesser-known operations including the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes, the Austro-Hungarian "Black-Yellow" offensive into eastern Galicia, and the German move into Lithuania. Naval action on the Baltic Sea is also covered.

The Fortress

The Fortress PDF Author: Alexander Watson
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 1541697324
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 389

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Book Description
A prizewinning historian tells the dramatic story of the siege that changed the course of the First World War In September 1914, just a month into World War I, the Russian army laid siege to the fortress city of Przemysl, the Hapsburg Empire's most important bulwark against invasion. For six months, against storm and starvation, the ragtag garrison bitterly resisted, denying the Russians a quick victory. Only in March 1915 did the city fall, bringing occupation, persecution, and brutal ethnic cleansing. In The Fortress, historian Alexander Watson tells the story of the battle for Przemysl, showing how it marked the dawn of total war in Europe and how it laid the roots of the bloody century that followed. Vividly told, with close attention to the unfolding of combat in the forts and trenches and to the experiences of civilians trapped in the city, The Fortress offers an unprecedentedly intimate perspective on the eastern front's horror and human tragedy.

Britain Goes to War

Britain Goes to War PDF Author: Peter Liddle
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473878365
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description
The First World War had a profound impact on British society and on British relations with continental Europe, the Dominions, the United States and the emerging Soviet Union. The pre-war world was transformed, and the world that we recognize today began to take shape. That is why, 100 years after the outbreak, the time is right for this collection of thought-provoking chapters that reassesses why Britain went to war and the preparations made by the armed forces, the government and the nation at large for the unprecedented conflict that ensued.A group of distinguished historians looks back, with the clarity of a modern perspective, at the issues that were critical to Britain's war effort as the nation embarked on the most intense and damaging struggle in its history. In a series of penetrating chapters they explore the reasons for Britain going to war, the official preparations, the public reaction, the readiness of the armed forces, internment, the impact of the opening campaign, the experience of the soldiers, recruitment, training, weaponry, the political implications, and the care of the wounded.

Voices of World War I

Voices of World War I PDF Author: Priscilla Roberts
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440873577
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
Bringing together a diverse collection of primary source documents, this book illuminates the events and experiences of World War I from a variety of perspectives, from soldiers on the front lines to civilians supporting the war effort at home. Part of Bloomsbury's Voices of an Era series, this carefully curated collection highlight the wartime experiences of a diverse array of individuals from around the globe. In addition to covering major military innovations and turning points, documents explore how issues of gender, race,diplomacy, and empire building impacted individuals' experience of the Great War. Each of the 42 documents includes contextual information and thought-provoking questions to guide readers in their exploration of the text. In addition to high-interest sidebars, in-text glossary definitions, biographical snapshots of key figures, and a comprehensive chronology of the war, the book also includes a guide to evaluating and interpreting primary sources that bolsters readers' analytical and critical thinking skills. Although it was nicknamed "the war to end all wars," World War I heralded the start of modern-day conflicts. The human toll of the Great War was immense-an estimated 9 million soldiers died on the battlefield, while more than 5 million civilians died as the result of military actions, disease, or famine. In the wake of World War I, empires crumbled and new nations won their independence. Although the events and aftermath of World War I happened on an epic scale, the conflict is best understood through the human lens provided by these primary sources.

Frontline Ukraine

Frontline Ukraine PDF Author: Richard Sakwa
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857724371
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
The unfolding crisis in Ukraine has brought the world to the brink of a new Cold War. As Russia and Ukraine tussle for Crimea and the eastern regions, relations between Putin and the West have reached an all-time low. How did we get here? Richard Sakwa here unpicks the context of conflicted Ukrainian identity and of Russo-Ukrainian relations and traces the path to the recent disturbances through the events which have forced Ukraine, a country internally divided between East and West, to choose between closer union with Europe or its historic ties with Russia. In providing the first full account of the ongoing crisis, Sakwa analyses the origins and significance of the Euromaidan Protests, examines the controversial Russian military intervention and annexation of Crimea, reveals the extent of the catastrophe of the MH17 disaster and looks at possible ways forward following the October 2014 parliamentary elections. In doing so, he explains the origins, developments and global significance of the internal and external battle for Ukraine.With all eyes focused on the region, Sakwa unravels the myths and misunderstandings of the situation, providing an essential and highly readable account of the struggle for Europe's contested borderlands.