Suggested Books

[specster]

Just finish Castles of Steel...was looking for a recent book which incorporates the military aspects and the political aspects of the war.  IMO I think the politicians AKA leaders screwed things up royally and one has to wonder if it was not intentional.  Archduke Ferdinand was an excuse , IMO, for a war several countries were hellbent on fighting......Anyway...a good current book on the topic???

[28juni14]

The best book I have on the subject is; The Lions of July", by William Jannen Jr. Published back in 1996,  It is an informative work, without bias, and well supported with source documentation. 

[sassenach]

John Rohl's biography of the Kaiser is excellent and covers the "July crisis" in some depth.  

Edited 4 April , 2019 by sassenach

[Marilyne]

Sassenach is very very right  about that suggestion

One other is Christopher Clark's "The Sleepwalkers", thouroughly and discussed on this forum and a very well documented work.

Another good one is  McLEAN, Roderick, R: Royalty and Diplomacy in Europe, 1890 – 1914. This book examines the diplomatic role of royal families in the era just before the First World War. Those relations proved to be of the greatest importance when looking at the events that led to war. Even if monarchs had mostly a symbolic role to play, they still had their influence over the family ties that bound the countries together. This book clearly shows how those family ties influenced international relations and diplomacy... and the lack hereof is the case of a certain German spoiled brat !!

Last but not least, if looking at the purey political and military relationships, you might have have a look at SUTTIE, Andrew: Rewriting the First World War: Lloyd George, Politics and strategy 1914-1918. Haven't read it through completely but it's quite good.

 

But euh... "Castles of Steel" is about the war at sea, and policies surrounding the battle between the British and German fleets... the other suggestions are about general politics and the origins of the war.

 

M.

 

[seaJane]

May not go deep enough into the subject for you, but Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August is a good read.

[ilkley remembers]

'The War that Ended Peace' by Margaret MacMillan is excellent about the events leading up to the war, I also enjoyed Christopher Clark's controversial (in the UK at least) 'The Sleepwalkers'. Somewhat left of field is American journalist Adam Hochschild's 'To End All Wars' which covers political aspects of pacifism and  WW1. Professor of International History at the LSE, David Stevenson's 1914-1918, the History of the First World War is excellent and I have a liking for Niall Fergusons  1998 'The Pity of War ', although, it is generally disliked on this forum.