"Catastrophe - A Book Review " Topic
7 Posts
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| Tango01 | 03 Apr 2014 9:15 p.m. PST |
"It's very good so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about it. Please bear in mind that my 'book reviewing' skills are a little rusty!!? The earlier chapters focus mainly on the geo-political situation in Europe, who was 'friends' with whom, who would support whom in the event of aggression, etc, etc. I had thought that these might be a little dry (being a gamer I'm more interested in war-war, not jaw-jaw) but instead they set the scene very well indeed and shed some light on what must be considered a rather murky period of European statesmanship. What would help is a 'dramatis personae' so as to better keep track of all the key players! The established view seems to lay most of the blame for the Great War on the Germans and/or the Austrians. This book does not overturn that view although it does redress the balance somewhat by illustrating the fact that other European powers all contributed to the escalation of events, either by direct involvement, deliberate sabre-rattling or sometimes simple inaction…"
Full review here.
link Hope you enjoy!. Amicalement
Armand |
| 15th Hussar | 04 Apr 2014 5:38 a.m. PST |
Reading it now…it is FANTASTIC! Though…even Hastings say's not to throw out Tuchman's "Guns of August" if you own it, as it is still a landmark work. |
| Inkpaduta | 04 Apr 2014 10:23 a.m. PST |
Started it but did not finish it. The extreme Anti-German bias was a turn off. Teaching a course on the Great War has led me to do a lot of research on the starting of the war. Hastings it not a source I would use. |
| Tango01 | 04 Apr 2014 11:29 a.m. PST |
Many thanks for your comments boys!. Amicalement
Armand |
Dave Jackson  | 05 Apr 2014 6:12 a.m. PST |
Also want to get Margaret MacMillan's new one "The war that ended peace". Her "Paris 1919" should be required reading for everyone who wonders how our modern world came about. Lastly, Donald Kagan's "On the Origins of war" has an excellent chapter on the origin of WWI. |
| monk2002uk | 06 Apr 2014 6:30 p.m. PST |
Hastings' book contains several anecdotal quotes that may be of interest. His interpretations of battles, tactics and the behaviours of various commanders are very dated. This reflects the extensive use of older secondary sources. I too would not recommend this book, FWIIW. Robert |
| Tango01 | 07 Apr 2014 11:54 a.m. PST |
Many thanks for your guidance boys. Amicalement
Armand |
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adds a machinegun platoon to his WWI Brits.
