Imperial Germany And The Great War 1914 1918

This book represents the most comprehensive history of Germany during the First World War.

World War I was the first large-scale industrialized military conflict, and it led to the concept of total war. The essays in this volume analyze the experience of the war in light of this concept's implications, in particular the erosion of distinctions between the military and civilian spheres.

Roger Chickering offers the most comprehensive history ever written of a German city at war.

Adolf Hitler, writing in Mein Kampf, was scathing in his condemnation of German propaganda in the First World War, declaring that Germany had failed to recognize propaganda as a weapon of the first order. This despite the fact that propaganda had been regarded, arguably for the first time, as an intrinsic part of the war effort. David Welch has written the first book to fully examine German society -- politics, propaganda, public opinion, and total war -- in the Great War. Drawing on a wide range of sources -- from posters, newspapers, journals, film, parliamentary debates, police and military reports, and private papers -- Welch argues that the moral collapse of Germany was due less to the failure to disseminate propaganda than to the inability of the military authorities and the Kaiser to reinforce this propaganda, and to acknowledge the importance of public opinion in forging an effective link between leadership and the people.

A detailed account of the composition, structure and organization of the First World War German Army has long been needed by English-language readers - this work will fill the gap admirably. In more than 300 pages, the authors examine all aspects of the army. A detailed analytical text is followed by an extensive compendium of order-of-battle data.

A history of Germany in World War I as told by the soldiers who fought the battles and the civilians grappling with a decline in quality of life. Europe went to war in 1914 to the sound of brass bands and cheering crowds; in every country, civilians and soldiers alike believed that the war would be won by Christmas time. By the time Christmas arrived, however, it became clear that this, indeed, would be a much longer war. In the months and years which followed, combatants perused the war with boundless intensity to emerge victorious. This was partially true of Germany where publicists pictured it as a life-and-death struggle for the survival of a nation surrounded by hostile enemies. No nation involved in the conflict so completely mobilised its population, its resources, its energies into such a single-minded pursuit of the war. This unusual and incisive account chronicles Germany in World War 1 from the viewpoint of the soldiers who fought the battles and civilians who endured the ever-increasing trauma of escalating casualties, widespread shortages, and declining conditions of living. It relates how Germany attempted to cope with a massive blockade, the scope of which had not been seen since the days of Napoleon, thus forcing German authorities to adopt a series of sometimes brutal measures, all of which rested on the underlying premise that victory, a clear-cut victory, could be the only acceptable option. Victory Must Be Ours explores the Germany which in 1914 took a prestigious leap into darkness. It explores the ingredients which make the Great War perhaps the single most fateful event in the Twentieth Century, setting in motion the bloodiest conflict of all time, World War II. Praise for Victory Must Be Ours “A stark, well-documented study of the hardships suffered by German civilians during WWI.” —Publishers Weekly “Moyer makes sophisticated use of published and archival sources in the best English–language survey to date German participation in World War I. . . . He presents a vivid picture of a society strained beyond its limits by the unexpected demands of total war. . . . Civilians saw the quality of their lives decline precipitously in every area—a process that Moyer, a researcher and former history professor, describes particularly well.” —Library Journal “Moyer draws a convincing connection between that bitterness and the appeal of extremist movements during the Weimar period. A specialist in German history, he has full command of the facts and relates his account with analytical skill and compassion.” —Booklist

The Great War scarred both the people and the popular imagination of Europe. No previous war matched it in scale, brutality and futility. The course of events has been told many times, spurred by an endless desire to understand 'the war to end all wars'. However this impressive book moves beyond military narrative to offer a much fuller analysis of the conflict's impact: strategic, political, social and cultural. Starting with the context and origins of the war, including assassination, misunderstanding and differing national war-aims, it then covers the treacherous course of the conflict and its social consequences: #Mobilisation had a massive impact both on soldiers and female civilians, producing radical changes to people's way of life which stimulated political change #Science and technology created a new brand of industrialised warfare and were accelerated by the imperative of victory # The insecurity and strain of war created dissidence and mutiny, engendering revolution in Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. The war left a long-term legacy for victors and vanquished alike. It created new frontiers and changed the balance of power, influenced the arts, national memory and political thought. The reach of this account is global, showing how a conflict amongst European powers came to involve their colonial empires, and embrace Japan, China, the Ottoman Empire, Latin America and the United States. This is a bold and original book, offering a thematic study of a war that was famously, and quite rightly, labelled as 'the seminal event of the twentieth century'. Ian Beckett is Professor of History, Luton University, UK.

A detailed account of the composition, structure and Organisation of the First World War German Army has long been needed by English-language readers - this work will fill this gap admirably.In more than 300 pages, the authors examine all aspects of the army. A detailed analytical text is followed by an extensive compendium of order-of-battle data. Topics covered include: High Command & War Leadership Composition of Army Groups, Armies, etc. Organisation of the Field Army. Branches covered in detail incl. Infantry, incl. MG formations; Cavalry; Artillery; Pioneers; Air Force; Supply troops; Tank units; Pioneers; Signals troops; Railway & Transport troops; Medical troops; Field Gendarmerie, etc. etc. Organisation of the Home Front & Occupied Territories Extensive order-of-battle data, plus lists of units, army commanders & chiefs of staff