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The First World War: A New History Paperback – February 13, 2014

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 683 ratings

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Hew Strachan is one of the world's foremost experts on the Great War of 1914-18. His ongoing three-volume history of the conflict, the first of which was published in 2001, is likely to become the standard academic reference Max Hastings called it 'one of the most impressive books of modern history in a generation', while Richard Holmes hailed it as a 'towering achievement'. Now, Hew Strachan brings his immense knowledge to a one-volume work aimed squarely at the general reader. The inspiration for and a companion volume to the major Channel 4 series of the same name, to which Hew has been chief consultant, THE FIRST WORLD WAR is a significant addition to the literature on this subject, taking as it does a uniquely global view of what is often misconceived as a prolonged skirmish on the Western Front. Exploring such theatres as the Balkans, Africa and the Ottoman Empire, Hew Strachan goes on to assess Britain's participation in the light of what became a struggle for the defence of liberalism, and show how the war shaped the 'short' twentieth century that followed it. Accessible, compelling and utterly convincing, this is a modern history writing at its finest.
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster Ltd; Re-issue edition (February 13, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1471134261
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1471134265
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 1.06 x 7.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 683 ratings

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4.4 out of 5 stars
683 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides a decent overview of the war with insightful analysis. They praise the well-written and pictorial approach. Many consider it an excellent and worthwhile read that touches on economics. However, opinions differ on readability - some find it easy to understand and a must-read for high school students, while others find it dense and difficult to follow.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

49 customers mention "History"45 positive4 negative

Customers find the book provides a good overview of the war. It offers insights worth considering in the context of the major events. The book provides plenty of analysis of military, strategic, and economic aspects. While it is a hard read, there is a good bit of interesting material within its pages. Overall, it's a valuable new history that offers some new perspectives.

"...Hew Strachan takes a slightly unorthodox but very useful approach to the First World War...." Read more

"...Nevertheless it covers all the main ground and provides plenty of analysis of the various military, strategic, economic and political constraints..." Read more

"The author is one of the better experts on the First World War and has a detailed but fluid writing style. Excellent book !..." Read more

"...I would recommend buying this book to those who want a decent overview of the war...." Read more

25 customers mention "Pacing"20 positive5 negative

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the thorough, insightful presentation with pictures that complement the text. The author writes thematically and with the benefit of hindsight.

"...The author packs his very readable account into a bit over 300 pages, including period black and white, and color, photographs, and a selection of..." Read more

"Super easy to read and lots of pictures related to the reading. Read this as a requirement for a history class." Read more

"...of the better experts on the First World War and has a detailed but fluid writing style. Excellent book !..." Read more

"...Even viewed on a PC, most of the photos are poor." Read more

25 customers mention "Value for money"22 positive3 negative

Customers find the book provides good value for money. They describe it as an excellent, worthwhile read with valuable information about Europe and the world leading up to World War I. Many consider it a wonderful addition to their collection and praise its academic excellence.

"...Excellent book ! Book store service was great too, book was as promised and speedy on delivery. Thank You All." Read more

"...It is duly praised by reviewers as "readable" and "pleasurable" and so it is, but Hew Strachan gives us a broad oversight while avoiding the down-and..." Read more

"...Sound familiar? Well worth reading." Read more

"...Great supplemental read for those who are well-versed in WW1, not impossible to follow. The 2nd time." Read more

5 customers mention "Economics"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book useful for its economic discussions. They mention it touches on political, social, and military aspects, including stock and commodity prices.

"...and provides plenty of analysis of the various military, strategic, economic and political constraints under which the main participants operated...." Read more

"...For instance, it discusses economics (to include stock and commodity prices), industrial development, and local agriculture in a way I've never..." Read more

"...It goes beyond the purely military history and describes the social, economic and cultural dimensions of the Event...." Read more

"...It touches the political, economic, social and military aspects of World War One without becoming bogged down...." Read more

24 customers mention "Detail"13 positive11 negative

Customers have different views on the book's detail. Some find it provides useful background information and keeps the narrative moving. The ten chapters are thematic rather than chronological, providing a more complete appreciation for aspects. However, others feel the book gets bogged down in details that are not essential, with inadequate or misleading descriptions of the U.S. economic situation.

"...His perspective on the outcome of the war is quite interesting. Well recommended to students of the conflict, and to the patient general reader." Read more

"...but there is no information of page numbers to find the reference. Yes, this Kindle version has page numbers, in addition to the Amazon "location"...." Read more

"...The series was so compelling that I wanted to read the book thinking that it would allow me to fill in some of the blanks that are inevitable with..." Read more

"...how to drop in the revealing statistic, the pregnant quote, the striking anecdote. He keeps the narrative going, and rarely wastes a word...." Read more

24 customers mention "Readability"15 positive9 negative

Customers have mixed reviews about the book's readability. Some find it easy to understand and a good read for high school students, while others find it dense and difficult to follow, with convoluted sentence structure and inconsistent writing from chapter to chapter. The writing style also differs between the paperback and Kindle editions.

"...I thought this book read more like a textbook...I think it would probably fulfill that role well...." Read more

"...I do read a dozen books a year (non-fiction mostly) This book is a hard read, lots of side information and references to people/places/things/nouns..." Read more

"...and the result was a lot of things crammed together and a little hard to follow; very different from the rest of the book...." Read more

"...It could appeal to an informed readership beyond a purely academic one. I scored the book on the basis of what I took to be its academic excellence." Read more

First impression...Not an easy read
1 out of 5 stars
First impression...Not an easy read
I bought the book and honestly was lost after the first few chapters. I did not flow, it is not easy reading. I set it down and In the mean time I found at an antique store a book written in 1919 right after WWI ended. I have an original copy of what has been kept in print because it is considered an important original source of what happened during WWI. It has original source documentation and an appendix with literally a day by day account of events, very easy to read and hard to put down. Here is a link... https://www.amazon.com/dp/1374096687/?coliid=I1U2LT7RZDJVEJ&colid=12ONJHOBL2KJE&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it. I will finish reading the old book first and then get back into Strachan's to update this review.Update: After finishing the outstanding short history of the Great War, "The Story Of The Great War" by Roland G. Usher published in 1919, I tried again to read Strachan's book. It is totally not worth my time. Investigation of acknowledgements indicates liberal bias. It is a poorly written tangled web of dots that can not be connected. Liberal "hindsight", 100 years after the Great War, an excuse for revisionist history! It is confusion in print. Strachan took a long time writing this book because to make a plausible case, for manipulating public opinion, out of a tangled web of dots never meant to be connected is no easy task. For some reason I kept thinking of the TV series "Peyton Place" as I tried in vain to get into Strachan's nonsense...Meaningless drama does shape world wars. The straight forward facts from Roland G Usher who wrote "The Story OF The Great War" right after it ended is far superior, one book, summary presentation, of WWI.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2020
    Historian Hew Strachan takes a slightly unorthodox but very useful approach to the First World War. He writes thematically and with benefit of hindsight rather than chronologically, a method that may challenge readers without background in the conflict. His method demands some effort from the reader as he moves from the military to the political, social and economic aspects of the conflict and back. That effort will however be rewarded with a fuller perspective of the conflict and its effects down through the 20th Century.

    The author packs his very readable account into a bit over 300 pages, including period black and white, and color, photographs, and a selection of maps. His perspective on the outcome of the war is quite interesting. Well recommended to students of the conflict, and to the patient general reader.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2024
    Overall, this is a very informative history of WW-I and the participants thereof. The author describes the strengths and weaknesses of the participants -- both countries and individual leaders -- and what they accomplished and failed to accomplish. The author offers much detail and background information related to the action -- and inaction -- of the various participants.

    I knew that Austria-Hungary, the "aggrieved party" of the Sarajevo Assassination, was not strong, but I did not realize that when it wanted to start a war with Serbia, Serbia actually had a stronger military position, and Germany's help was absolutely essential. Furthermore, the assassination complaint was only a pretext for other political goals of Austria.

    The author very well describes the military actions of the war, and how evolving technology totally changed the thinking of how a war can be waged: Smokeless powder; high explosives; tanks; aircraft; rapid firing machine guns or 75 mm guns; accurate, long-range, large artillery; telephones; wireless (radio). Trench warfare offered an excellent defensive posture, neatly dealing with the new technology, but it was also a prescription for a war of attrition beyond control. Poison gas complicated the picture.

    The casualty rates (wounded, captured, or killed) on both sides were so high as to be hard to grasp today. For example, "Within four months Austria-Hungary’s casualties totalled 957,000, more than twice the army’s pre-war strength." (p. 32) "Over a period of three days the allies were defeated along the entire length of the front. Forty thousand French soldiers were killed, and by 29 August their casualties totalled 260,000." (p. 54)

    For the first 9 of the 10 chapters, I would give the book a rating of 5 Stars.

    Chapter 10, about 35 pages, is a disappointment in dealing with 1918 through the end of the war. It seems like the author was either rushed to finish or was given a severe limit on length, and the result was a lot of things crammed together and a little hard to follow; very different from the rest of the book.

    There had been huge shifts in the situation during 1918, but they are treated with little detail. For example, In May "Paris itself came under fire from Germany artillery, and the panic in the civil population reproduced that of 1914." (p. 290) Then, 21 pages later, "8 August [was] ‘the black day of the German army’. Of 27,000 German casualties, fully 12,000 had surrendered, an unprecedentedly high proportion," (p. 311) thanks to a major change in the concept of operations by the Entente. The German position unraveled rapidly afterward.

    I had hoped to learn more about the involvement of Russia, but there is relatively little coverage. In principle, Russia had immense military resources available compared to any other country. In particular I wanted to know about their entry into and participation with the Triple Entente, in light of the political upheaval that unfolded during the 1914-1918 period. Also the terms of peace between Germany and Russia receive little discussion, although they were very harsh for Russia.

    The Treaty of Versailles at the end of WW-I receives much less attention than it deserves. It was very harsh for Germany, by intent, and some leaders even thought it was too lenient. However, the severity had unforeseen consequences that contributed to the rise to power of the Nazis a dozen years later.

    The Kindle version of the book is below expectations. It is apparently a scan + optical character recognition, but without adequate oversight, or even spell-check. There are some odd errors, like missing periods at the end of sentences, accents sometimes lost on foreign names, or spurious spaces or hyphens in words that apparently were word-wrapped in the original. For a book like this, very heavy in detail, an index would be very useful. The Kindle version has an a listing of the names, places etc., but there is no information of page numbers to find the reference. Yes, this Kindle version has page numbers, in addition to the Amazon "location". It is true that on a PC the Search function can do much of what the Index could, but on the Kindle, it is clumsy to use.

    A side note: The photos in the book are close to useless on a Kindle Paper White unless the back light is turned on and up high. There is almost nothing between total white and total black. Even with back light, they are marginal at best. An advantage of the Paper White is that no illumination is normally needed for reading, greatly extending battery life. Even viewed on a PC, most of the photos are poor.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024
    Super easy to read and lots of pictures related to the reading. Read this as a requirement for a history class.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2014
    Hew Strachan belongs to that long line of English speaking geopolitical/military historians whose output is always deserving of respect even if you don't agree with every single one of their opinions. Others that meet this criteria are Michael Howard, John Keegan, Paul Kennedy, Richard Evans, Tony Judt, Max Hastings, Alan Taylor, Andrew Roberts. I draw this distinction because while none of them have eschewed controversy they don't do it for suspect motives of cheap revisionism which one all too often sees in the work of other historians or pseudo historians writing in the field.

    This short book by Strachan which was a spin off from a British TV series he was involved in clearly doesn't have the vast amount of information you would find in volume 1 of his history of WW 1. Nevertheless it covers all the main ground and provides plenty of analysis of the various military, strategic, economic and political constraints under which the main participants operated. An acquaintance of mine who picked up the book in my absence and skimmed it was amazed at the amount and denseness of the information it contained and there is no better recommendation in my opinion. It's not without it's odd disconnects. For example he's somewhat dismissive of the importance of the Schlieffen Plan on the grounds that the German army wasn't large enough to undertake it and yet the book is full of assertions predicated on the assumption that German grand strategy in 1914 was based on France first and operational plans that required a huge wheeling movement through Belgium and Northern France that would pass West and East of Paris and envelop the French army. This sounds awfully like Schlieffen's concept to this reader even if modified somewhat in execution. In terms of length the book is midway between Michael Howard's short history and John Keegan's somewhat longer one. I'd actually recommend reading all three since they all find new things to say about what was arguably the seminal event of the 20th Century.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2023
    The author is one of the better experts on the First World War and has a detailed but fluid writing style. Excellent book !
    Book store service was great too, book was as promised and speedy on delivery. Thank You All.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Apemantus
    5.0 out of 5 stars very informative, highly readable
    Reviewed in Italy on November 24, 2021
    The main reason I’m writing this review is that i feel the first listed review from the UK amazon site (scroll down to see it) is grossly unfair.

    For me, this book provides a very good solid overview of the fuller picture of the causes, events, and consequences of the war. It is packed with a wealth of detail, yet is nevertheless very readable and easily accessible to the non-academic (one of the criticisms from the previously mentioned review - that the volume is written solely for academics - is very wide of the mark).

    I especially like the focus on the WORLD side of the story – shattering the preconception that the conflict took place exclusively on the Western Front. The photos included within tell the story: of a total of 51 photographs, only ONE shows troops actually in the trenches, and ONE other shows (French) troops in a dugout, with a further ONE showing duckboards being carried over a support trench; and both of these latter photos are actually here to show the type of helmets adopted by various armies rather than stress the trench warfare aspect. Other photos range from Japan to Cameroon, from Armenia to the USA – as I said, covering a much broader canvas than most books and most people's immediate ideas when thinking of the war.

    It is most definitely a top-down approach, as others have pointed out. Consequently, there are no stories of individual Tommies suffering in the trenches; instead focus is on military strategy and tactics, and the political backdrop. Not that this should put you off: I found it immensely readable and informative, and far more useful, written as it is. Describing the use of statistics as “cold” is not really a valid criticism due to the nature of what the book purports to do; neither are any “grammatical errors” in any way a hindrance to reading, enjoying, or learning from the volume (and I must confess I haven’t found any howlers yet).

    All in all highly recommend for those, like me, whose knowledge of the broader picture of the war is scanty and who feel they should rectify the situation immediately!
  • charles slagorsky
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on May 8, 2018
    Once it finally arrived, i'm enjoying this book. Thanks.
  • Jacques ARNOL-STEPHAN
    4.0 out of 5 stars Clear and comprehensive
    Reviewed in France on December 23, 2014
    A clear account of the different theaters of WWI. And an hindsight explaining the political factors, the different ideologies at stake. A very good synthesis of a war that shaped Europe.
  • Peter
    2.0 out of 5 stars A HEAVY READ
    Reviewed in Spain on October 18, 2014
    This is a very detailed book but I found it very heavy going. Also there a few diagrams and the ones there are, are difficult to read.
  • Dr Barry Clayton
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Comparable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2014
    This excellent one volume by Hew Strachan is a reissue of the book first published in 2003. The author is a renowned professor of war at Oxford University. His book 'To Arms', the first volume of a trilogy yet to be completed, was greeted with aclaim by scholars worldwide. Strachan has also written a number of thought-provoking books on current strategy and the problems that have arisen since 1990.

    This work is aimed at the general reader. Unlike a number of others however it is not replete with truisms and cliches. The author is far too good at his craft to do this. It would, for example, be very hard to better the introduction to this book in which he discusses, for example, the importance of the brilliant book by Clausewitz on the philosophy of war and its lessons for today.

    One paragraph about the Great War is worth repeating here: 'Moreover, many of the answers we come up with can be as subjective and tendentious as many of the views expressed by the war's eyewitnesses'.If only some writers on the war would heed this, particularly its critics.

    Strachan rightly criticises the late Basil Liddell Hart's thesis that blockade and naval power was the cause of Germany's demise, a thesis that the influential historian singularly failed, not for the first time in his many writings, to support with any evidence. The author is also rightly dismissive of the research behind many of the statistics that are regularly trotted out to support biased opinion, for example, the claim that 6 million civilians died as a consequence of the war, and the German claim that 1 million civilians died as a result of the blockade. As Strachan says in a brilliant aside: 'Hindsight's hold on objective truth is a fragile thing'.

    The chapters in this book deal with all the major aspects of the war including its global nature, the revolution in Russia and Germany's last gamble in 1918 to win the war. It is not a book for those who want to read about battles. Library shelves already creak under the weight of these. There is an excellent and fascinating chapter on Jihad. Millions of Muslims were told to commit holy war against the Entente powers. It failed despite the Kaiser trying to encourage revolution in Egypt and India in order to weaken the Entente's flanks. Temporal loyalties overrode religious ones in most cases.

    In a final chapter, Strachan discusses the attempts to ensure stability and peace after 1918. He rightly says one must know about the First World War to understand the Second but there was no inevitability as many have argued, linking the second with the first

    Another quote from the book to ponder over:'We gloss over too readily the last letters of those killed in the First World War, letters that tell their loved ones not to grieve because they have died in a just cause'. If only those who condemn the war as futile, and run by butchers and donkeys, would instead focus on the facts instead of on their prejudices based on ignorance.

    The accompanying maps are excellent as are the Illustrations.
    Chapter notes include many of the best secondary sources including several very important German ones. The Index is excellent and comprehensive.

    A book to savour. It will make you think and appreciate the difference between true research and the numerous blood and mud biased accounts that use only those facts that support a predetermined point of view. There are numerous attractive theories about the war, unfortunately inconvenient facts make them worthless.

    No other general account can equal this one by a master historian.