The Kaiser's Army

The Kaiser's Army PDF Author: David Stone
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1844862925
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 513

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this comprehensive book, David Stone describes and analyses every aspect of the German Army as it existed under Kaiser Wilhelm II, encompassing its development and antecedents, organisation, personnel, weapons and equipment, its inherent strengths and weaknesses, and its victories and defeats as it fought on many fronts throughout World War I. The book deals in considerable detail with the origins and creation of the German army, examining the structure of power in German politics and wider society, and the nation's imperial ambitions, along with the ways in which the high command and general staff functioned in terms of strategy and tactical doctrine. The nature, background, recruitment, training and military experiences of the officers, NCOs and soldiers are examined, while personal and collective values relating to honour, loyalty and conscience are also analysed. There is also an evaluation of all aspects of army life such as conscription, discipline, rest and recuperation and medical treatment. In addition the army's operations are set in context with an overview of the army at war, covering the key actions and outcomes of major campaigns from 1914 to 1918 up to the signature of the Armistice at Compiègne. For anyone seeking a definitive reference on the German Army of the period – whether scholar, historian, serving soldier or simply a general reader – this remarkable book will prove an invaluable work.

The Kaiser's Army

The Kaiser's Army PDF Author: David Stone
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1844862925
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 513

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this comprehensive book, David Stone describes and analyses every aspect of the German Army as it existed under Kaiser Wilhelm II, encompassing its development and antecedents, organisation, personnel, weapons and equipment, its inherent strengths and weaknesses, and its victories and defeats as it fought on many fronts throughout World War I. The book deals in considerable detail with the origins and creation of the German army, examining the structure of power in German politics and wider society, and the nation's imperial ambitions, along with the ways in which the high command and general staff functioned in terms of strategy and tactical doctrine. The nature, background, recruitment, training and military experiences of the officers, NCOs and soldiers are examined, while personal and collective values relating to honour, loyalty and conscience are also analysed. There is also an evaluation of all aspects of army life such as conscription, discipline, rest and recuperation and medical treatment. In addition the army's operations are set in context with an overview of the army at war, covering the key actions and outcomes of major campaigns from 1914 to 1918 up to the signature of the Armistice at Compiègne. For anyone seeking a definitive reference on the German Army of the period – whether scholar, historian, serving soldier or simply a general reader – this remarkable book will prove an invaluable work.

The Kaiser

The Kaiser PDF Author: Annika Mombauer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139440608
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 319

Get Book Here

Book Description
This collection of innovative essays examining the role of Wilhelm II in Imperial Germany was first published in 2003, particularly on the later years of the monarch's reign. The essays highlight the Kaiser's relationship with statesmen and rulers; his role in international relations; the erosion of his power during the First World War; and his ultimate downfall in 1918. The book demonstrates the extent to which Wilhelm II was able to exercise 'personal rule', largely unopposed by the responsible government, and supported in his decision-making by his influential entourage. The essays are based on thorough and far-reaching research and on a wide range of archival sources. Written to honour the innovative work of John Röhl, Wilhelm II's most famous biographer, on his sixty-fifth birthday, the essays within this volume will continue to provide an exciting evaluation of the role and importance of this controversial monarch.

The Ashgate Research Companion to Imperial Germany

The Ashgate Research Companion to Imperial Germany PDF Author: Matthew Jefferies
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317043200
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 679

Get Book Here

Book Description
Germany's imperial era (1871-1918) continues to attract both scholars and the general public alike. The American historian Roger Chickering has referred to the historiography on the Kaiserreich as an 'extraordinary body of historical scholarship', whose quality and diversity stands comparison with that of any other episode in European history. This Companion is a significant addition to this body of scholarship with the emphasis very much on the present and future. Questions of continuity remain a vital and necessary line of historical enquiry and while it may have been short-lived, the Kaiserreich remains central to modern German and European history. The volume allows 25 experts, from across the globe, to write at length about the state of research in their own specialist fields, offering original insights as well as historiographical reflections, and rounded off with extensive suggestions for further reading. The chapters are grouped into five thematic sections, chosen to reflect the full range of research being undertaken on imperial German history today and together offer a comprehensive and authoritative reference resource. Overall this collection will provide scholars and students with a lively take on this fascinating period of German history, from the nation’s unification in 1871 right up until the end of World War I.

The Impact of Napoleon

The Impact of Napoleon PDF Author: Brendan Simms
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521893855
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 414

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book examines Prussia's response to Napoleon and Napoleonic expansionism in the years before the crushing defeats of Auerstadt and Jena, a period of German history as untypical as it was dramatic. Between the years 1797 and 1806 the main fear of Prussian statesmen was French power, rather than revolution from below. This threat spawned a foreign-policy debate characterised by geopolitical thinking: the belief that Prussian policy was conditioned by her unique geographic situation at the heart of Europe. The book breaks new ground both methodologically and empirically. By combining high-political and geopolitical analysis, it is able to present a more comprehensive and nuanced picture than earlier interpretations. The book also draws on a very wide range of sources, official and unofficial, many previously unused.

Seedtime for Fascism

Seedtime for Fascism PDF Author: George V. Strong
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131529303X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 228

Get Book Here

Book Description
This study examines the political culture in Austria-Hungary in the latter half of the 19th century. It analyzes the centrifugal forces that arose from growing ethnic nationalism in the empire and that ultimately overpowered the centripetal forces which held the Austrian-Hungarian "state idea" together. The analysis is applied further to provide an historical explanation of analogous developments in post-1989 Europe.

Rumsfeld

Rumsfeld PDF Author: Andrew Cockburn
Publisher: Verso Books
ISBN: 1789603072
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 318

Get Book Here

Book Description
US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld-the mesmerizing figure who oversaw the US Army, Navy, Airforce, and Marines-has been widely blamed for the catastrophic state of Iraq. In October 2006 Rumsfeld was sacked, his disastrous running of the war in Iraq being held responsible for the American public's loss of faith in the Bush administration. In this groundbreaking book, Washington insider Andrew Cockburn reveals that Rumsfeld's political legacy stretches back decades and speculates as to where his career might take him now. Drawing on sources that include Rumsfeld's inner circle as well as high-ranking officials in the Pentagon and White House, Rumsfeld, going far beyond previous accounts, reveals its subject in his true colours-as a man consumed with the urge to dominate each and every human encounter, and whose ambition has long been matched by his inability to display genuine leadership or accept responsibility. The book demolishes the notion that he has been a forceful and effective manager driven to transform the military, and intimately details Rumsfeld's all-important relationships to Bush and Cheney, and how it has affected the wars that the USA and the UK are fighting today in Iraq and Afghanistan. Cockburn also exposes and scrutinizes Rumsfeld's earlier career, revealing his long-standing record of processing faulty intelligence, blurring personal and professional interests, and manipulating bureaucratic systems. Brimming with powerful revelations, Rumsfeld is a must-have piece of investigative journalism.

The White War

The White War PDF Author: Former Professor of Law and Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor Mark Thompson
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1458760332
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 422

Get Book Here

Book Description
In May 1915, Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire. Nearly 750,000 Italian troops were killed in savage, hopeless fighting on the stony hills north of Trieste and in the snows of the Dolomites. To maintain discipline, General Luigi Cadorna restored the Roman practice of decimation, executing random members of units that retreated or rebelled...

Tennessee's Experience During the First World War

Tennessee's Experience During the First World War PDF Author: Michael E. Birdwell
Publisher: Univ. of Tennessee Press
ISBN: 1621905314
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 474

Get Book Here

Book Description
"This book includes fourteen essays on Tennessee's experience during World War I. The essays introduce a range of entry points to the conflict from typical soldier stories - including Birdwell's own essay on Alvin York - to politics, agribusiness, African Americans, and present-day recollections"--

Democracies and the Shock of War

Democracies and the Shock of War PDF Author: Marc Cogen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317153197
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book Here

Book Description
Over the course of the twentieth century, democracies demonstrated an uncanny ability to win wars when their survival was at stake. As this book makes clear, this success cannot be explained merely by superior military equipment or a particular geographical advantage. Instead, it is argued that the legal frameworks imbedded in democratic societies offered them a fundamental advantage over their more politically restricted rivals. For democracies fight wars aided by codes of behaviour shaped by their laws, customs and treaties that reflect the wider values of their society. This means that voters and the public can influence the decision to wage and sustain war. Thus, a precarious balance between government, parliament and military leadership is the backbone of any democracy at war, and the key to success or failure. Beginning with the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century writings of Alberico Gentili and Hugo Grotius, this book traces the rise of legal concepts of war between states. It argues that the ideas and theories set out by the likes of Gentili and Grotius were to provide the bedrock of western democratic thinking in wartime. The book then moves on to look in detail at the two World Wars of the twentieth century and how legal thinking adapted itself to the realities of industrial and total war. In particular it focuses upon the impact of differing political ideologies on the conduct of war, and how combatant nations were frequently forced to challenge core beliefs and values in order to win. Through a combination of history and legal philosophy, this book contributes to a better understanding of democratic government when it is most severely tested at war. The ideas and concepts addressed will resonate, both with those studying the past, and current events.

Leadership In Conflict

Leadership In Conflict PDF Author: Matthew Hughes
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 0850527511
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 299

Get Book Here

Book Description
The First World War was a conflict in which personality and character mattered. Its course and outcome were decided by determined individuals who had to make momentous decisions in very trying circumstances. As battles raged on land, sea and air across Europe, Africa and Asia, the Generals and politicians tried to steer a course to victory. It was never easy and they often disagreed on the best strategy. Yet, men's lives depended on the outcome. This collection of authorative essay examines these disagreements, portraying the decision-making process on both sides in the Great War. The personalities involved are now household names: Haig, Foch, Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson and the German Kaiser, William II.