The World S War

“A stunning achievement of research and storytelling” that weaves together the major fronts of WWI into a single, sweeping narrative (Publishers Weekly, starred review). It was to be the war to end all wars, and it began at 11:15 on the morning of June 28, 1914, in an outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire called Sarajevo. It would officially end nearly five years later. Unofficially, however, it has never ended: Many of the horrors we live with today are rooted in the First World War. The Great War left millions of civilians and soldiers maimed or dead. It also saw the creation of new technologies of destruction: tanks, planes, and submarines; machine guns and field artillery; poison gas and chemical warfare. It introduced U-boat packs and strategic bombing, unrestricted war on civilians and mistreatment of prisoners. But the war changed our world in far more fundamental ways than these. In its wake, empires toppled, monarchies fell, and whole populations lost their national identities. As political systems and geographic boundaries were realigned, the social order shifted seismically. Manners and cultural norms; literature and the arts; education and class distinctions; all underwent a vast sea change. As historian Martin Gilbert demonstrates in this “majestic opus” of historical synthesis, the twentieth century can be said to have been born on that fateful morning in June of 1914 (Publishers Weekly, starred review). “One of the first books that anyone should read . . . to try to understand this war and this century.” —The New York Times Book Review

Provides a unique, single-vol. ref. source on the armies, battles, weapons and leaders of the first great war that shook Europe and the World during the 20th cent. It presents in encyclopedic detail a wide range of info., facilitating rapid access to the essential facts and figures of WW1. Chapters: causes of WW1; a historical section which charts the progress of the war, year by year and with clear, informative maps of important battles and offensives; a detailed chronology of the war years; a record of the weapons and tactics of the war; and info. on every combatant nation; glossary, colloquialisms and obscurities; and more than 250 contemporary photos and engravings.

From a bestselling historian, a daringly revisionist history of World War I The Pity of War makes a simple and provocative argument: the human atrocity known as the Great War was entirely England's fault. According to Niall Ferguson, England entered into war based on naive assumptions of German aims, thereby transforming a Continental conflict into a world war, which it then badly mishandled, necessitating American involvement. The war was not inevitable, Ferguson argues, but rather was the result of the mistaken decisions of individuals who would later claim to have been in the grip of huge impersonal forces. That the war was wicked, horrific, and inhuman is memorialized in part by the poetry of men like Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, but also by cold statistics. Indeed, more British soldiers were killed in the first day of the Battle of the Somme than Americans in the Vietnam War. And yet, as Ferguson writes, while the war itself was a disastrous folly, the great majority of men who fought it did so with little reluctance and with some enthusiasm. For anyone wanting to understand why wars are fought, why men are willing to fight them and why the world is as it is today, there is no sharper or more stimulating guide than Niall Ferguson's The Pity of War.

Studies the causes, social and economic impact, and military strategies of World War I and profiles the world leaders who played important roles in the war's outcome.

An overview of trench warfare during World War I.

This new approach to the history of the Second World War, first published in 1990, examines the events of this period through the cartoons of the day. Roy Douglas explains the messages behind the humour and reveals that the perception of war differed radically from country to country. This collection highlights the importance of the media in this global war. ‘An authoritative narrative about what inspired the artists to take to their pens and papers... By putting it all into perspective, the poignancy, and often the brilliance of the political cartoonist is shown to the reader... Douglas’s historical narrative adds to the enjoyment.’ West Coast Review of Books ‘Douglas’s valuable book uses the political cartoon as historical mirror... The book is very important for its attempt to correlate visual media with national policy at a crucial period in recent history.’ Choice

This invaluable resource offers students a comprehensive overview of the German war machine that overran much of Europe during World War II, with close to 300 entries on a variety of topics and a number of key primary source documents. This book provides everything the reader needs to know about the German war machine that developed into the potent armed force under Adolf Hitler. This expansive encyclopedia covers the period of the German Third Reich, from January 1933 to the end of World War II in Europe, in May 1945. Dozens of entries on key battles and military campaigns, military and political leaders, military and intelligence organizations, and social and political topics that shaped German military conduct during World War II are followed by an illuminating epilogue that outlines why Germany lost World War II. A documents section includes more than a dozen fascinating primary sources on such significant events as the Tripartite Pact among Germany, Italy, and Japan; the Battle of Stalingrad; the Normandy Invasion; the Ardennes Offensive; and Germany's surrender. In addition, six appendices provide detailed information on a variety of topics such as German aces, military commanders, and military medals and decorations. The book ends with a chronology and a bibliography of print resources.

A truly global account of WWII - the war that encompassed six continents.