“Some damned foolish thing in the Balkans,” Bismarck had predicted, would ignite the next war.
In Barbara Tuchman’s Pulitzer Prize winning book The Guns of August, she lays the foundation for the outbreak of WWI and follows through in great detail the the first month of the war; although operations involving Austria-Hungary and the Balkans are omitted.
The book opens with the funeral for King Edward VII and with what has been called one of the most beautiful opening paragraphs ever written:
Tuchman then lays down the political and socio-economic climate of the times from 1910-1914. Being a neophyte of sorts to not only World War One but also European history, it did come as a bit of a surprise to me to learn that Kaiser Wilhelm was the nephew of Edward VII and that virtually all of the ruling royalty in Europe were related to each other in one way or another. Germany wants to grow as a power, Britain wants to remain a global powerhouse, Russia wants to win back respect after the Russo-Japanese War, Austria-Hungary wants to strengthen its empire and influence in the Balkans, the French want the Germans to not be a threat, and the Belgians just want to be left alone. Germany had its Schlieffen Plan which called for taking France by skirting the French border defenses and going in via neutral Belgium, France had its Plan 17 and its “if Germany comes in via Belgium…” option, and Belgium had no plan because, well, they were neutral.
Fast forward to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip and the July Crisis whose end result was World War One.
Tuchman has no qualms with laying the brunt of the blame of WWI on the shoulders of Germany. Germany could have used its influence over Austria-Hungary to force a diplomatic solution with Serbia, but instead chose to use this to force a war that everyone knew would eventually come.
Hindsight being 20/20 and being a child of the "modern age", I read with a combination of disbelief and chagrin at the various degrees of incompetency displayed by each nation. For example, because they were so worried about Germany invading them, Russia had their railways use a different gauge. This turns out to be a disadvantage when Russian becomes the invader:
Tuchman does a wonderful job explaining the key political and military players, their backgrounds, and their feuds with colleagues. Her prose flows very well and you can tell that each word was carefully selected. When Germany rolls into Belgium and starts the siege on the fortresses at Liege, her description of Germany’s siege guns and their effects stay with you.
After the French defeat at the Battle of the Frontier and their retreat, the book ends suddenly just before the Battle of the Marne. This was a bit disappointing but I get why she did it — the book is called The Guns of August, not The Guns of August and September.
The book is long, dense, and full of references to Armies and Corps and Divisions so a working knowledge of the structure of an army would be a good thing to bring before reading this book. All in all, it is a great book but I do have two criticisms:
I give it
I should point out that this is the first in a series of reviews of non-fiction books about World War One. I call it The Great Great War Reading Project.
In Barbara Tuchman’s Pulitzer Prize winning book The Guns of August, she lays the foundation for the outbreak of WWI and follows through in great detail the the first month of the war; although operations involving Austria-Hungary and the Balkans are omitted.
The book opens with the funeral for King Edward VII and with what has been called one of the most beautiful opening paragraphs ever written:
So gorgeous was the spectacle on the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration. In scarlet and blue and green and purple, three by three the sovereigns rode through the palace gates, with plumed helmets, gold braid, crimson sashes, and jeweled orders flashing in the sun. After them came five heirs apparent, forty more imperial or royal highnesses, seven queens— four dowager and three regnant— and a scattering of special ambassadors from uncrowned countries. Together they represented seventy nations in the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last. The muffled tongue of Big Ben tolled nine by the clock as the cortege left the palace, but on history’s clock it was sunset, and the sun of the old world was setting in a dying blaze of splendor never to be seen again.
Tuchman then lays down the political and socio-economic climate of the times from 1910-1914. Being a neophyte of sorts to not only World War One but also European history, it did come as a bit of a surprise to me to learn that Kaiser Wilhelm was the nephew of Edward VII and that virtually all of the ruling royalty in Europe were related to each other in one way or another. Germany wants to grow as a power, Britain wants to remain a global powerhouse, Russia wants to win back respect after the Russo-Japanese War, Austria-Hungary wants to strengthen its empire and influence in the Balkans, the French want the Germans to not be a threat, and the Belgians just want to be left alone. Germany had its Schlieffen Plan which called for taking France by skirting the French border defenses and going in via neutral Belgium, France had its Plan 17 and its “if Germany comes in via Belgium…” option, and Belgium had no plan because, well, they were neutral.
Fast forward to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip and the July Crisis whose end result was World War One.
Tuchman has no qualms with laying the brunt of the blame of WWI on the shoulders of Germany. Germany could have used its influence over Austria-Hungary to force a diplomatic solution with Serbia, but instead chose to use this to force a war that everyone knew would eventually come.
Hindsight being 20/20 and being a child of the "modern age", I read with a combination of disbelief and chagrin at the various degrees of incompetency displayed by each nation. For example, because they were so worried about Germany invading them, Russia had their railways use a different gauge. This turns out to be a disadvantage when Russian becomes the invader:
To send an army into modern battle on enemy territory, especially under the disadvantage of different railway gauges, is a hazardous and complicated undertaking requiring prodigies of careful organization. Systematic attention to detail was not a notable characteristic of the Russian Army.
Tuchman does a wonderful job explaining the key political and military players, their backgrounds, and their feuds with colleagues. Her prose flows very well and you can tell that each word was carefully selected. When Germany rolls into Belgium and starts the siege on the fortresses at Liege, her description of Germany’s siege guns and their effects stay with you.
After the French defeat at the Battle of the Frontier and their retreat, the book ends suddenly just before the Battle of the Marne. This was a bit disappointing but I get why she did it — the book is called The Guns of August, not The Guns of August and September.
The book is long, dense, and full of references to Armies and Corps and Divisions so a working knowledge of the structure of an army would be a good thing to bring before reading this book. All in all, it is a great book but I do have two criticisms:
1. Tuchman loves to interject foreign language into a paragraph when the ordinary English equivalent would do. I have a working knowledge of German so I was able to follow her leaps into the German language but I was not prepared for figuring out the French portions.
For example:
2. This is not a criticism of the book itself as it is a criticism of the media. I read this on my Kindle and the maps and photos were not well rendered at all. Fortunately I have a paper copy as well and was able to actually study the maps that Tuchman provides which helps immensely understanding the positions and movements of the armies.
For example:
“Eliminate the red trousers?” he cried. “Never! Le pantalon rouge c’est la France!”
and
Messimy telephoned to Premier Viviani who, though exhausted by the night’s events, had not yet gone to bed. “Good God!” he exploded, “these Russians are worse insomniacs than they are drinkers,” and he excitedly recommended “Du calme, du calme et encore du calme!”
I didn’t feel it added anything to the text other than to show the reader that she knows French and German. Then again, I am just a layman so what do I know?and
Messimy telephoned to Premier Viviani who, though exhausted by the night’s events, had not yet gone to bed. “Good God!” he exploded, “these Russians are worse insomniacs than they are drinkers,” and he excitedly recommended “Du calme, du calme et encore du calme!”
2. This is not a criticism of the book itself as it is a criticism of the media. I read this on my Kindle and the maps and photos were not well rendered at all. Fortunately I have a paper copy as well and was able to actually study the maps that Tuchman provides which helps immensely understanding the positions and movements of the armies.
I give it
I should point out that this is the first in a series of reviews of non-fiction books about World War One. I call it The Great Great War Reading Project.
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