History of the Great War, 1914-1918

by Carlton J.H. Hayes

"Self-interest was the dominant note of the years immediately preceding the outbreak of the Great War. In economics and in politics, among individuals, social classes, and nations, flourished a self-interest that tended more and more to degenerate into mere cynical selfishness... There was no international organization. There was no general authority for the determination of disputes and for the regulation of world interests. There were at the opening of the twentieth century some fifty states, in theory absolutely independent, sovereign, and equal. In fact, the fifty were very unequal and even the strongest among them was not strong enough to maintain its independence should the others unite against it. Yet each proceeded to act on the assumption in most cases that it was self-sufficient and that its own self-interest was its supreme guide." - Carlton J. H. Hayes


The Great War Comes. The General International Anarchy. The Immediate Germany. The the Assassination of an Archduke.
Germany Conquers Belgium and Invades France. Mobilization and Strategy. The Conquest of Belgium. The Invasion of France. German Gains in the West – and Failure.
Russia Fails to Overwhelm Germany. The Russian Invasion of East Prussia. The Russian Invasion of Galicia. The German Invasion of Russian Poland. The Security of Serbia.
Great Britain Masters the Seas. Importance of Sea Power. The Participation of Japan. The Conquest of the German Colonies. Turkey's Support of Germany. Germany's Counter-Offensive on the Seas.
The Allies Endeavor to Dominate the Near East. Allied Optimism in the Spring of 1915. The Attack on the Dardanelles. Italy's Entry into the War.
Russia Retreats. Mackensen's the Austrian Recovery of Galicia. Hindenburg's the German Conquest of Poland. Revival of Political Unrest in Russia. Failure of the Allies to Relieve Russia.
Germany Masters the Near East. Decline of Allied Prestige. Bulgaria's Entry into the War and the Conquest of Serbia. Failure of the Allies to Relieve the Salonica Expedition. Completion of German Mastery of the Near East.
Germany Fails to Obtain a Decision in 1916. Teutonic Optimism at the Beginning of 1916. The Difficulty at "They Shall Not Pass". The Difficulty in the Italy's Defense. The Difficulty in Suppression of Rebellion. Difficulties at the Grand Fleet and the United States Government.
The Allies Fail to Obtain a Decision in 1916. Attempted Coordination of Allied Plans. Simultaneous Allied the Somme, the Isonzo, and the Sereth. The Participation and Defeat of Rumania. Stalemate and the Teutonic Peace Drive.
The United States Intervenes. The Isolation or a League of Nations? The Unrestricted Submarine Warfare. The Preparedness.
Russia Revolts and Makes "Peace". Destruction of Russian the March (1917) Revolution. Disintegration of Political and Military Experiments. Dictatorship of the the November (1917) Revolution. Defection of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
The Allies Pave the Way for Ultimate Victory. Allied Plans and Prospects in 1917. The Lesson of the Hindenburg Line. Recovery of Allied Prestige in the Near East. Seeming Obstacles to Allied Victory.
Germany Makes the Supreme Effort. "Whom the Gods Would Destroy". The Drive Against the the Battle of Picardy. The Drive Against the the Aisne and the Oise. The Drive Against the the Piave. The Final German the Second Battle of the Marne. The Allies Triumph and Central Europe Revolts. Allied Victories in the West. Allied Intervention in Russia. Allied Triumph in the Near Surrender of Bulgaria and Turkey.
The Collapse of Resurgence of Oppressed Nationalities. The End of Flight of William II.
A New Era Begins. The Settlement. The Losses. Landmarks of the New Era.

Genres: History, World War I

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2013

About the author

American historian, educator, diplomat, devout Catholic and academic. '

He was a leading and pioneering specialist on the study of nationalism. He was elected as president of the American Historical Association over the opposition of liberals and the more explicit Anti-Catholic bias that defined the academic community of his era.

He served as United States Ambassador to Spain in World War II. Although he came under attack from the CIO, communists and other forces on the left that rejected any dealings with Francoist Spain, Hayes succeeded in his mission to keep Spain neutral during the war.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barely passable. He spends virtually no time talking about pivotal battles like Verdun and the Somme, even less on Ypres and Passchendaele, but will spend dozens of pages on actions on the Italian front. Basically only really notable because it was written in the 1920s, so it’s interesting to see it from that point of view.

Do yourself a favor and listen to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast covering the Great War in a series titled “Blueprint for Armageddon “. Way better.

[Greg Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maps Would Have Helped

Well structured, and the author did not assume the reader remembered every detail, so he would repeat specific facts or incidents as they applied to different events.

This book, written not long after the events, gives a more than thorough explanation of the numerous causes for the war, as well as the breadth of the conflict and the nations/peoples who participated in the multitude of conflicts.

The final chapter paints an interesting picture of how the war impacted the early 20th century, and the hopes and concerns that so many nations had moving forward, especially in lieu of what we now know really happened. Highly recommended Joseph Loconte's "A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War".

[John S Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting perspective from the time of writing ca. 1920

Having been written about 1920, the glimpse of the future is fascinating. Man seems bent on the Cain kills Able in his actions. Mankind seems to change only the numbers and methods of killing each other in spite of his "good intentions" . My father always told me, "The road He'll is paved with good intentions.". History, in general, surely seems to sadly support that.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book did have very good information, and I did learn some things, it was extremely hard to follow at times. Yes, the details can be dry, but the writer here was very verbose, there were a lot of grammatical errors, and I feel like details were sometimes given in a roundabout way.

I did learn, but there are better sources out there.

[Glenn Van Buren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned much about this terrible war. Not much on the trench warfare, day to day battles, however.

See above. Surprised by the combatants and how they ended up on the sides that they took. Interesting book to learn about a subject that I did not study much in school.

[Wesley Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful

Very informative book detailing the history of World War I. General overviews of battles, stances, nations and other information. I enjoyed the read.

[Gary Leibl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I would have given it a higher score if it had maps of the battlefields.

[Joanne Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

Great detailed information from multiple points of view. Wonderful to see how many new ideas were implemented and still I. Vogue 100 years later.

[Robert Barkman]

Finished History of the Great War weeks ago. It was fine. As good as any other WW1 book besides the Guns of August.

[Zach Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, but poorly written



This book so very informative, yet lacks the language necessary to keep the reader engaged for long periods of time.