The First World War

By: John Keegan

Narrated by: James Langton

The First World War created the modern world. A conflict of unprecedented ferocity, it abruptly ended the relative peace and prosperity of the Victorian era, unleashing such demons of the twentieth century as mechanized warfare and mass death. It also helped to usher in the ideas that have shaped our times--modernism in the arts, new approaches to psychology and medicine, radical thoughts about economics and society--and in so doing shattered the faith in rationalism and liberalism that had prevailed in Europe since the Enlightenment. With The First World War, John Keegan, one of our most eminent military historians, fulfills a lifelong ambition to write the definitive account of the Great War for our generation.

Probing the mystery of how a civilization at the height of its achievement could have propelled itself into such a ruinous conflict, Keegan takes us behind the scenes of the negotiations among Europe's crowned heads (all of them related to one another by blood) and ministers, and their doomed efforts to defuse the crisis. He reveals how, by an astonishing failure of diplomacy and communication, a bilateral dispute grew to engulf an entire continent.

But the heart of Keegan's superb narrative is, of course, his analysis of the military conflict. With unequalled authority and insight, he recreates the nightmarish engagements whose names have become legend--Verdun, the Somme and Gallipoli among them--and sheds new light on the strategies and tactics employed, particularly the contributions of geography and technology. No less central to Keegan's account is the human aspect. He acquaints us with the thoughts of the intriguing personalities who oversaw the tragically unnecessary catastrophe--from heads of state like Russia's hapless tsar, Nicholas II, to renowned warmakers such as Haig, Hindenburg and Joffre. But Keegan reserves his most affecting personal sympathy for those whose individual efforts history has not recorded--"the anonymous millions, indistinguishably drab, undifferentially deprived of any scrap of the glories that by tradition made the life of the man-at-arms tolerable."

By the end of the war, three great empires--the Austro-Hungarian, the Russian and the Ottoman--had collapsed. But as Keegan shows, the devastation ex-tended over the entirety of Europe, and still profoundly informs the politics and culture of the continent today. His brilliant, panoramic account of this vast and terrible conflict is destined to take its place among the classics of world history.

Critic reviews

"Eloquent.... Mr. Keegan captures the anamolous, even surreal quality of the war." —The New York Times

"The best one-volume account there is." —Civilization

"Elegantly written, clear, detailed, and omniscient.... Keegan is ...perhaps the best military historian of our day." —The New York Times Book Review

"Undoubtedly the world's most accessible and popular military historian." —Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Magisterial.... A miracle of concision." —The Weekly Standard

"An epic tale.... Makes us keenly aware of how battles are fought, won, and lost." —Fortune

Must read for all students

This should be mandatory reading for all students. A very in-depth depiction of the Great War.

Phase 1 of the 20th century war

I Ingrid presentation of what led to the Great War, which, in reality was phase 1 of the 20th century war. World war two was phase 2, and the cold war, phase 3. We have here presented a clear account of the lead up to this essentially unnecessary war. It is interesting to compare Keegan’s description of the events with Churchill’s the World Crisis. And Mr. Keegan’s account is more a big picture of you, while Churchill’s is more focused on the events in which he was a direct participant for the most part . Having listened to these two books, I am inspired to dig farther into the great war in which my grandfather participated on the western front with an artillery battery. He was partially disabled as a result of a gas attack.

the excellent narrative

Great book..Keegan is always a great read his scholarship is of the of the highest order...Highly Recommend

clarity of and depth of understanding

this tome greatly enhanced my understanding of The Great War and how it still influences ourr world.

An incredible look into the past

The narration of the story was first class. Never knowing much about the first world war, this book gave me a detailed look into how it began, the different reasons for every nation involved as well as a firm and clear description of battle plans and outcomes for all sides. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves history who does not know much about the first world war. It left me more knowledgeable than before and frankly more sad than ever before when discussing the first world war. Way too many lives lost and nothing resolved until 30 years later after the conclusion of the second world war.