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TEXT:
ISBN: 0-7570-0158-0
Length: 240 Pages
Size: 8.5
X 11-inch
Format: Quality Paperback
Category: History / Military / World War I
Price: $21.95
ATLAS:
ISBN: 0-7570-0159-9
Length: 112 Pages
Size: 10.5
X 13.75-inch
Format: Quality Paperback
Category: History / Military / World War I
Price: $26.95
Availability:
In Print
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Synopsis • Introduction • Reviews
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Synopsis
Fought on an unprecedented scale, World War
I marked the end of the old world military order and the beginning
of the era of mechanized warfare. The Great War, part
of sixteen-volume series developed and written by the faculty of
the United States Military Academy at West Point, is a thorough
examination of the key campaigns of the "war to end all wars." It
analyzes the development of military theory and practice from the
prewar period of Bismarck’s Prussia to the creation of the League
of Nations.
Complementing this text is a beautiful large-format
full-color campaign atlas. These original maps not only highlight
the key military battles of the First World War, they also provide
dates, unit numbers, troop deployments, and movements of opposing
forces, as well as critical geographical information. This atlas
is designed to be used with the text or alone.
General
Thomas E. Griess (USA Ret.) began his military career in
1943, serving in the Pacific during World War II, and saw further
action in the Korean War. He received his master’s degree in civil
engineering from the University of Illinois, and his PhD in history
from Duke University. General Griess joined the faculty of the U.S.M.A.
at West Point in 1956, and from 1969 to his retirement in 1981,
served as the first head of the Department of History.
Introduction
To many observers, August 1914 marked the end of the nineteenth century. With the outbreak of general war on the European Continent, life throughout the world would change--imperceptibly at first, perhaps, but irreversibly. War came because the European nations had been unwilling to deal with the many international crises that could have been easily resolved if approached singly. In fact, the direct cause of the conflict was one of the most trivial of these international issues. The assassination of the pretender to the Austro-Hungarian throne was not construed as being serious enough to alter the summer holidays of the leaders of Europe. The Dual Monarchy’s precipitate reaction to the event, however, laid bare the numerous conflicts and deep-seated antagonisms that had plagued Europe since 1870. While the rigid structure of military and naval policies did not cause the war, it did hasten its arrival once the ministers had set the wheels in motion.
There can be no more tragic example of the failure of military theory to prepare soldiers and sailors for the next war than that in vogue prior to the Great War of 1914-1918. Most military leaders optimistically believed that an offensive tactical doctrine and an efficient mobilization plan would bring about a quick and decisive victory. In fact, the offensive spirit and rapid mobilization plunged Europe into four years of bloody attrition that ended in an unstable and inconclusive peace. The Great War was fought on such an unprecedented scale that both political and military leaders were incapable of directing its course. Both the war itself and the monstrous battle engagements of which it was composed assumed a life and will of their own. The war became a juggernaut that had to be fueled but could not be stopped.
Contrary to the popular view of how military theory and doctrine developed during the war, they evolved with renewed vigor and flexibility as the war progressed. The integration of new weapons into the arsenal was rapid and, for the most part, effective. Because entire societies were affected by the war, military institutions were closely examined by civilian authorities. The military and naval leadership was forced to accommodate to change wrought by conscription, the organization of the national economies, and the systematic support of the scientific community. Unfortunately, these same leaders tried to return to their former methods following the war, wishing to cleanse themselves of the new experiences rather than to learn from them.
The Great War, as it was known before people had need to keep such events in chronological order, brought with it the greatest tests that mankind had experienced to that date. Monarchy, imperialism, and societies structured on the basis of birth were, for the most part, found defective and either destroyed or dealt mortal blows. Politically, the war brought with it radical change. New ideologies based upon the dream of utopian democracy or Marx’ Communist philosophy replaced the old verities. On the international level, unfamiliar boundaries and sovereignties appeared. Internally, all nations experienced the awakening of powerful groups that demanded recognition.
From both military and economic standpoints, the First World War ended an era of national self-sufficiency. The countries that emerged from the caldron of conflict were interconnected as much by military treaties as by the flow of goods and services. The League of Nations, which was a feeble expression of this interdependence, was the immediate offspring of the war.
The great upheaval that accompanied and followed the First World War has obscured the men who inhabited the world of the nineteenth century from the view of those of us who live in the last quarter of the twentieth. However, we can empathize with those who fought and suffered during the First World War. We can also trace much of our world’s cynicism and instability to this war that ended a period of relative tranquility.
Reviews
to come
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