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Short History of the First World War
The First World War was a watershed in world history. Tragic but far from futile, its origins, events and legacy have roused impassioned debate, creating multiple interpretations and confusion for those encountering the period for the first time.
Synthesising the latest scholarship, acclaimed historian Gary Sheffield cuts to the heart of the conflict. He explores such key issues as:
- the causes of war
- the great battles on land, sea and in the air
- the search for the peace and peace settlements
- the political, social and economic consequences
- the impact of 'total war' on the belligerents and the individual
- and the place of the Great War in the history of warfare
Accessible and authoritative, this is the ultimate introduction for anyone wanting a clear understanding of what happened and why.
Synthesising the latest scholarship, acclaimed historian Gary Sheffield cuts to the heart of the conflict. He explores such key issues as:
- the causes of war
- the great battles on land, sea and in the air
- the search for the peace and peace settlements
- the political, social and economic consequences
- the impact of 'total war' on the belligerents and the individual
- and the place of the Great War in the history of warfare
Accessible and authoritative, this is the ultimate introduction for anyone wanting a clear understanding of what happened and why.
256 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2014
21 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Gary D. Sheffield
43 books32 followersGary Sheffield is Professor of War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton. He is President of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides and a Vice President of the Western Front Association. He has published widely on the First World War and regularly broadcasts on television and radio as well as contributing to numerous journals, magazines and newspapers. Previous books include the acclaimed Forgotten Victory and The Chief: Douglas Haig and the British Army, which was shorlisted for the presigious Duke of Westminster's Medal.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 14, 2021
A Primeira Guerra Mundial ocorreu porque os líderes políticos da Áustria-Hungria e da Alemanha tomaram conscientemente decisões para alcançar determinados objetivos diplomáticos, mesmo correndo o risco de provocarem um conflito com a Rússia e a França
Uma guerra que começou porque mataram um Arquiduque e dava jeito à Alemanha anexar mais uns quilómetros de terreno. A grosso modo foi isto.
Um livro muito interessante para quem gosta de história. Aborda toda a cronologia até à eclosão da guerra, as batalhas travadas, o desenvolvimento da guerra aérea e submarina, as trincheiras e a guerra de desgaste. Faz o balanço dos mortos e feridos, do que foi perdido pelas nações, das consequências da guerra para os diversos países envolvidos, enquanto nação e enquanto povo. Um excelente livro sobre o tema.
Alterou a história para o bem e para o mal. (...) o mundo em que vivemos foi moldado a um nível surpreendente pela guerra desencadeada pelos eventos de 28 de junho de 1914, quando um arquiduque austríaco foi vítima da bala de um assassino.
Uma guerra que começou porque mataram um Arquiduque e dava jeito à Alemanha anexar mais uns quilómetros de terreno. A grosso modo foi isto.
Um livro muito interessante para quem gosta de história. Aborda toda a cronologia até à eclosão da guerra, as batalhas travadas, o desenvolvimento da guerra aérea e submarina, as trincheiras e a guerra de desgaste. Faz o balanço dos mortos e feridos, do que foi perdido pelas nações, das consequências da guerra para os diversos países envolvidos, enquanto nação e enquanto povo. Um excelente livro sobre o tema.
Alterou a história para o bem e para o mal. (...) o mundo em que vivemos foi moldado a um nível surpreendente pela guerra desencadeada pelos eventos de 28 de junho de 1914, quando um arquiduque austríaco foi vítima da bala de um assassino.
August 3, 2021
5/5 would recommend as a first book on the WWI.
Packs a lot of information into 190 pages (240 with further reading, endnotes, timeline and index). Well written and easy to read. Includes a lot of modern research and historiographical discussion. Good further reading list. No complaints. I’ve read a decent amount on the war so not much new information personally but I found it useful for refreshing the memory.
Packs a lot of information into 190 pages (240 with further reading, endnotes, timeline and index). Well written and easy to read. Includes a lot of modern research and historiographical discussion. Good further reading list. No complaints. I’ve read a decent amount on the war so not much new information personally but I found it useful for refreshing the memory.
January 14, 2025
3.5⭐️
Instantly lost half a star because there were too many grammatical and spelling errors for a non fiction book
Instantly lost half a star because there were too many grammatical and spelling errors for a non fiction book
February 25, 2021
Um bom resumo da Iª Guerra Mundial. Detalhado sem ser exaustivo. Complementado com fotografias, mapas e quadros informativos.
May 4, 2025
Really good, knew hardly anything at all about WW1 and it gives a really good overview in just 250 pages.
February 5, 2018
A great read that does a good job of painting the war in all its aspects in ones mind. It debunks many of the myths of the war by providing a valuable perspective only a historian could observe and connect. Mr Sheffield puts the impetus of the war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. While his case is tight it is not fool proof and immune to criticism.
On the side note, he does have a slightly [mind you,a very slight] anglocentric bias.
A worthy collection for both casual readers and those who desire to get more in depth[ It has an extensive reading list which encompass almost all the aspects/factors of the war.]
On the side note, he does have a slightly [mind you,a very slight] anglocentric bias.
A worthy collection for both casual readers and those who desire to get more in depth[ It has an extensive reading list which encompass almost all the aspects/factors of the war.]
April 30, 2021
A wonderful overview of the war that manages to remain simple and introductory yet present the reader with legitimate historical analysis and debate, even delving into historiography on occasion. It is by no means the definitive single-volume account of the war, nor does it seek to be. The book is an introduction to the conflict and at that, it succeeds greatly. All in all, it is a readable and well-researched book that acts as a great stepping stone into the wider world of research into the Great War.
December 14, 2025
I have finished reading “Short History of the First World War” by Gary Sheffield.
The author starts off talking about the emotive modern debate about whether the war was a just struggle that Britain entered or simply a catastrophe. This debate was given more prominence when many celebrities signed a letter on the centenary of the start of the war stating their belief that it was nothing more than a “catastrophe”. Certainly, there seems to be less moral certainty over World War One than there is regarding World War Two.
The author observes that the “catastrophe” label has been used as convenient cover from casting blame over who may have ultimately been responsible for the war occurring.
The author is very forthright on which powers are to blame for starting the war; the empires of Germany and Austria-Hungary. He makes the point that while this is against the recent modern consensus (some of which focuses on apparently manipulative behaviour by the Entente Powers), the evidence in his assessment is clear.
The international order was in many ways rich kindling for an international conflict to fire up from. But the author also makes clear that many near misses had been avoided through international mediation. Some of these mediation efforts were put forward by the British Empire, including one turned down when Austria sought to use the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand as a pretext for invading Serbia. The author points out that the leaderships of the German and Austro-Hungarian Empire both knew the risks of starting off a bigger conflagration when they decided to squeeze Serbia.
For a very short book on the war the author does a remarkable job in conveying to the reader the significance of each battle, which is not always easy when discussing the Western Front which often hardly moved. The author goes to great efforts to illustrate how despite the horrendous casualties the Allies learned from each battle and evolved their tactics. Arguably World War One was where the concept of Combined Arms Operations (coordination between infantry, mechanised and military aircraft) sprang from.
The end of the book raises much food for thought. The author points out that rather than being a harsh settlement, the Versailles terms on German were the worst of all worlds; punitive terms with hardly an enforcement. The post World War 2 settlement was harsher on Germany in many ways, since the German state was torn in two with a view to demilitarisation, until Cold War realities took over. Many empires fell at the end of World War One and some new nation-states were founded. The war undoubtedly changed the world and in places such as the Middle East the legacy of the war is still felt.
Overall, I enjoyed this book which was unafraid to present frank arguments to challenge the reader while providing solid reasoning to back them up. The author is brave enough to call out modern trends in scholarship on the war and give them a constructively critical analysis. The book also challenges the reader to think differently about an era of history which is often misunderstood.
The author starts off talking about the emotive modern debate about whether the war was a just struggle that Britain entered or simply a catastrophe. This debate was given more prominence when many celebrities signed a letter on the centenary of the start of the war stating their belief that it was nothing more than a “catastrophe”. Certainly, there seems to be less moral certainty over World War One than there is regarding World War Two.
The author observes that the “catastrophe” label has been used as convenient cover from casting blame over who may have ultimately been responsible for the war occurring.
The author is very forthright on which powers are to blame for starting the war; the empires of Germany and Austria-Hungary. He makes the point that while this is against the recent modern consensus (some of which focuses on apparently manipulative behaviour by the Entente Powers), the evidence in his assessment is clear.
The international order was in many ways rich kindling for an international conflict to fire up from. But the author also makes clear that many near misses had been avoided through international mediation. Some of these mediation efforts were put forward by the British Empire, including one turned down when Austria sought to use the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand as a pretext for invading Serbia. The author points out that the leaderships of the German and Austro-Hungarian Empire both knew the risks of starting off a bigger conflagration when they decided to squeeze Serbia.
For a very short book on the war the author does a remarkable job in conveying to the reader the significance of each battle, which is not always easy when discussing the Western Front which often hardly moved. The author goes to great efforts to illustrate how despite the horrendous casualties the Allies learned from each battle and evolved their tactics. Arguably World War One was where the concept of Combined Arms Operations (coordination between infantry, mechanised and military aircraft) sprang from.
The end of the book raises much food for thought. The author points out that rather than being a harsh settlement, the Versailles terms on German were the worst of all worlds; punitive terms with hardly an enforcement. The post World War 2 settlement was harsher on Germany in many ways, since the German state was torn in two with a view to demilitarisation, until Cold War realities took over. Many empires fell at the end of World War One and some new nation-states were founded. The war undoubtedly changed the world and in places such as the Middle East the legacy of the war is still felt.
Overall, I enjoyed this book which was unafraid to present frank arguments to challenge the reader while providing solid reasoning to back them up. The author is brave enough to call out modern trends in scholarship on the war and give them a constructively critical analysis. The book also challenges the reader to think differently about an era of history which is often misunderstood.
June 25, 2019
This is a very good summary of the WWI, although in some areas a bit simplified but if you are looking for a good short book that can summarize the very complex conflict and it's background and the alliances system that dragged all of Europe into a senseless war then this is a really good option and only has a couple of hundred pages.
I can also recommend the book "All quiet in the Western front" by Erich Maria Remarque that narrates the real madness and horrors of this war specially in the western front.
I can also recommend the book "All quiet in the Western front" by Erich Maria Remarque that narrates the real madness and horrors of this war specially in the western front.
August 11, 2017
I had been feeling guilty, with so many WW1 anniversaries that I knew so little about where the battles took place or what significance they had. I wanted and found a book that addressed my need and that was written to be easily read. I feel better informed, but even more horrified that for virtually every battle on the western front a casualty list of 100000 on both sides was light.
June 12, 2018
A well-written and succinct summary of the events that led to and encompassed The Great War. Highly recommended for those wanting an introduction to the European struggles in the early 20th century.
December 1, 2020
Magnífico livro que desmistifica muitos dos aspetos da História da Europa.
Fiquei realmente a conhecer a Grande Guerra e os motivos que levaram à Segunda.
Fiquei realmente a conhecer a Grande Guerra e os motivos que levaram à Segunda.
March 27, 2023
Not the best of Sheffield's books, mainly becasue it is indeed short, but well worth reading to get an alternative view of and useful introduction to Great War studies. As with all his books it is eminently readable and most certainly not a dry, academic tome
January 8, 2024
Started at Gatwick, stepped of the plane at LAX much more informed. Written excellently to absorb 4 years of history in 200 pages
February 12, 2017
What I knew about WWI was accumulated from films, books, documentaries, TV series, etc. I was pretty hazy on some aspects, and guessed that some of what I "knew" was either downright wrong or out-of-date, so I decided to look for a book to educate me. I searched reviews looking for something relatively short, based on modern analysis but accessible, to explain how the war came about, the main events in the war, and the fall-out. This book succeeds on all fronts.
The body of the book is just 187 pages in my copy, and it has to cover a lot in that space. The pre-war history starts with the Franco-Prussian war in 1870/1, and fair gallops through to the summer of 1914. Yet still does a good job of explaining that no war of this size can be considered alone. The narrative of the war is as shocking as I expected. The sheer numbers slaughtered, at times in just one or two days, is horrifying. The image of lambs led to slaughter by incompetent leaders is largely debunked. The one problem I had here is that when we first meet people, their role is explained, but subsequently they're just named. There are so many of them -- some of whose roles changed as they were promoted or demoted -- that I couldn't keep track. When they were involved in major events, brief footnotes would have helped me keep up.
After the major description of the war itself, the book ends with an excellent analysis of both of the tail-end of the war, but also of how it has subsequently shaped history. This definitely changed my understanding of geopolitics -- some things I'd thought were down to WWII are more strongly explained by WWI, for example the carving up of the Middle East.
If you want to understand WWI, I can recommend this book. I'd give it 9/10, but will give it 4 / 5, though only just. Now I want to find the equivalent book for WWII.
The body of the book is just 187 pages in my copy, and it has to cover a lot in that space. The pre-war history starts with the Franco-Prussian war in 1870/1, and fair gallops through to the summer of 1914. Yet still does a good job of explaining that no war of this size can be considered alone. The narrative of the war is as shocking as I expected. The sheer numbers slaughtered, at times in just one or two days, is horrifying. The image of lambs led to slaughter by incompetent leaders is largely debunked. The one problem I had here is that when we first meet people, their role is explained, but subsequently they're just named. There are so many of them -- some of whose roles changed as they were promoted or demoted -- that I couldn't keep track. When they were involved in major events, brief footnotes would have helped me keep up.
After the major description of the war itself, the book ends with an excellent analysis of both of the tail-end of the war, but also of how it has subsequently shaped history. This definitely changed my understanding of geopolitics -- some things I'd thought were down to WWII are more strongly explained by WWI, for example the carving up of the Middle East.
If you want to understand WWI, I can recommend this book. I'd give it 9/10, but will give it 4 / 5, though only just. Now I want to find the equivalent book for WWII.
January 19, 2016
Gary Sheffield has made his name as a revisionist historian of World War One, attempting to rehabilitate and refocus views about Douglas Haig and commenting on how the combined technology of the Great war made it groundbreaking (no pun intended) in its military modernisms. Revisionists such as Sheffield see World War One as a learning curve (hence mistakes, reversals and learning from experience) rather than one where Lions were led by Donkeys. This Short History is intended as a military history and as such doesn't deal with the artistic and cultural repercussions of this conflict. However it is a masterclass in covering almost everything else. Sheffield is unafraid to challenge the "Sleepwalkers" school of causation and trenchantly lays the blame for the war firmly on Germany and Austro- Hungary. Having dealt with the causes he then goes on to expertly deal with the course of the war- year by year covering both the Eastern and Western Fronts. The clarity of his unflashy prose is crystal clear and compelling in its persuasive account of turning points and still borne breakthroughs. His account of the development of technology is useful. He solves the problem in a supposed short book by using inserted factual panels providing contextual background or answering key questions. These inserted panels are similar to those used in Europe by Norman Davies and do much to help provide detail. Sheffield completes the book with sections on total war and the botched aftermath of Versailles, even discussing whether Versailles was instrumental in causing World War Two. This is an excellent book in its own right whether used as a primer or as a great introduction. There is a very good and up to date bibliographical essay at the end and scholarly notes and his main text and inserts manages to cover debates about the war and its course and causes. It is perhaps a war of attrition for Sheffield to convince this reader about Haigs achievements but I fully admire his ability to tell such a complex and wide ranging story with such an eye for interesting detail and key questions. The best and most complete introduction (indeed more than an introduction really) that I have read.
June 1, 2021
POR:
Um “must read” para os amantes da história. Só fiquei desagrado com a fraca imagem que o autor deixa dos combatentes portugueses na breve referência que fazem à participação de Portugal na grande guerra. Aparentemente é do desconhecimento do autor que os portugueses não só foram para a guerra mal equipados e mal preparados como foram deixados desprotegidos pelos seus aliados...
ENG:
A “must read” for history lovers. I was only displeased with the weak image that the author leaves of the Portuguese combatants in the brief reference that they make to the participation of Portugal in the great war. Apparently it is unknown to the author that the Portuguese not only went to war ill-equipped and ill-prepared, but were left unprotected by their allies ...
Um “must read” para os amantes da história. Só fiquei desagrado com a fraca imagem que o autor deixa dos combatentes portugueses na breve referência que fazem à participação de Portugal na grande guerra. Aparentemente é do desconhecimento do autor que os portugueses não só foram para a guerra mal equipados e mal preparados como foram deixados desprotegidos pelos seus aliados...
ENG:
A “must read” for history lovers. I was only displeased with the weak image that the author leaves of the Portuguese combatants in the brief reference that they make to the participation of Portugal in the great war. Apparently it is unknown to the author that the Portuguese not only went to war ill-equipped and ill-prepared, but were left unprotected by their allies ...
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews