The Guns of August
Ernie's Take:
With an unmatched scope and literary drive, Barbara Tuchman describes the rush to war and the first battles of the Great War. Starting with the end of the Edwardian era, Tuchman discusses the increasing demands for militarization and national honor in a Europe that had experienced an unprecedented century of general peace. She then details the first month of bloody combat, the crucible that would destroy European peace for a generation and ultimately result in the bloody overthrow of three empires and the rise of world communism, anti-imperialism, fascism and ultra-nationalism. This book well deserves its Pulitzer Prize.
Summary:
Historian and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Barbara Tuchman has brought to life again the people and events that led up to World War I. With attention to fascinating detail, and an intense knowledge of her subject and its characters, Ms. Tuchman reveals, for the first time, just how the war started, why, and why it could have been stopped but wasn't. A classic historical survey of a time and a people we all need to know more about, The Guns of August will not be forgotten.