The Making of the First World War

Ian F.W. Beckett

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English

Yale University Press
15 April 2014

European history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; First World War

An original and spellbinding reinterpretation of the most significant events of the Great War

Nearly a century has passed since the assassination of Austria-Hungary's Archduke Ferdinand, yet the repercussions of the devastating global conflict that followed echo still. In this provocative book, historian Ian Beckett turns the spotlight on twelve particular events of the First World War that continue to shape the world today. Focusing on episodes both well known and scarcely remembered, Beckett tells the story of the Great War from a new perspective, stressing accident as much as strategy, the small as well as the great, the social as well as the military, and the long term as much as the short term.

The Making of the First World War is global in scope. The book travels from the deliberately flooded fields of Belgium to the picture palaces of Britain's cinema, from the idealism of Wilson's Washington to the catastrophic German Lys offensive of 1918. While war is itself an agent of change, Beckett shows, the most significant developments occur not only on the battlefields or in the corridors of power, but also in hearts and minds. Nor may the decisive turning points during years of conflict be those that were thought to be so at the time. With its wide reach and unexpected conclusions, this book revises—and expands—our understanding of the legacy of the First World War.

By: Ian F.W. Beckett
Imprint: Yale University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 2mm
Weight: 331g
ISBN: 9780300206647
ISBN 10: 030020664X
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 15 April 2014
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ian F. W. Beckett is Visiting Professor of History at the University of Kent.

Reviews for The Making of the First World War

'This book offers genuine insight into the wider war, political and diplomatic as well as military. Written by a historian at the height of his powers, this book will get readers to think outside the box, and weight the relative importance of the various fronts of the land war, the war in the air and war at sea.' (Richard Holmes) 'Beckett provides a vivid and comprehensive overview of the conflict; but he also shows how the world in which we live today was shaped during the pivotal years of 1914-18. It is a book about the making, not just of the First World War, but of the entire twentieth century.' (Sir Michael Howard) 'It breaks away from a narrow interpretation of the First World War and is all the better for it.' (Gary Sheffield, BBC History Magazine)