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Az első világháború mély nyomot hagyott a mai ember gondolkodásában. Átalakította Európa politikai rendjét. Emlékművei ott állnak minden városban és faluban. Élményei fél évszázad múltán is elevenen élnek. Minden epizódja újabb könyveknek szolgál témául, és a könyvek kelendőek. Az én célom az volt, hogy történelmi távlatban mutassam be a háborút. Igyekszem megértetni hátterét, nem utolsósorban pedig igyekszem föloldani azt a paradoxont, hogy azok, akik szenvedélyesen vetették bele magukat ebbe a háborúba, ugyanakkor gyűlölték is. Mindegyik ország látszólag önvédelemből harcolt, ugyanakkor azonban hódításra és hatalmas előnyök szerzésére törekedett. Az események súlya maga alá temette az államférfiakat. A tábornokokat is. Úgy vélték, hogy a győzelem titka a tömeg. Azt a tömeget azonban, amelyet megmozdítottak, nem tudták kézben tartani. Mindannyian többé-kevésbé tehetetlenül vergődtek. Térkép nélküli hajóskapitányok voltak, akiket elsodort a vihar, és nem tudták, hol keressenek kikötőt. Az első világháború hőse az ismeretlen katona volt. Az írásos följegyzésekben csak a számjegyek utáni nullákban van róla híradás, a fényképeken azonban tovább él.
A hadviselés mindig is a találmányok szülőanyja volt. Gyermekei között van a történelmi fénykép is. A fényképezés a krími háború során lett nagykorúvá. Fentonnak épp a Krímben készített képei a legnagyszerűbb művészi alkotásai. A búr háborút is megőrizte a fényképezőgép az utókornak. Ezek a háborúk távoliak voltak. Az első világháborúban a fényképezőgép már megörökítette a hétköznapi ember életét. A fényképek megmutatják az államférfiakat és a hadvezéreket a közszereplés színpadán és a színfalak mögött is. Megmutatják a pusztító eszközöket. Belátunk a lövészárkokba és a lőszergyárakba. Újra látjuk a letarolt vidéket és az élelemért sorban álló embereket. Föltűnnek azok, akik harcoltak, szenvedtek és meghaltak: a hús-vér emberek a pufogó frázisok mögött. A fényképezőgépnek köszönhetően nemcsak olvashatunk az első világháborúról, hanem újra átélhetjük. Fényképek ezreiből válogattunk; tízet félreraktunk, amíg egyet kiválasztottunk. Vannak közöttük olyanok, amelyek jól ismertek ugyan, de nem lehetett kihagyni őket. Van sok olyan is, amelyet eddig nem tettek közzé. A puszta leírásban a háború elvont és elméleti, ugyanolyan távolinak tűnik, mint a trójai háború, a képek azonban megmutatják az embereket. Ez a háború a mi háborúnk is volt. Ha jobban megértjük, talán nekünk sikerülhet az, ami nem sikerült az akkoriaknak: hogy urai legyünk tulajdon sorsunknak.
A hadviselés mindig is a találmányok szülőanyja volt. Gyermekei között van a történelmi fénykép is. A fényképezés a krími háború során lett nagykorúvá. Fentonnak épp a Krímben készített képei a legnagyszerűbb művészi alkotásai. A búr háborút is megőrizte a fényképezőgép az utókornak. Ezek a háborúk távoliak voltak. Az első világháborúban a fényképezőgép már megörökítette a hétköznapi ember életét. A fényképek megmutatják az államférfiakat és a hadvezéreket a közszereplés színpadán és a színfalak mögött is. Megmutatják a pusztító eszközöket. Belátunk a lövészárkokba és a lőszergyárakba. Újra látjuk a letarolt vidéket és az élelemért sorban álló embereket. Föltűnnek azok, akik harcoltak, szenvedtek és meghaltak: a hús-vér emberek a pufogó frázisok mögött. A fényképezőgépnek köszönhetően nemcsak olvashatunk az első világháborúról, hanem újra átélhetjük. Fényképek ezreiből válogattunk; tízet félreraktunk, amíg egyet kiválasztottunk. Vannak közöttük olyanok, amelyek jól ismertek ugyan, de nem lehetett kihagyni őket. Van sok olyan is, amelyet eddig nem tettek közzé. A puszta leírásban a háború elvont és elméleti, ugyanolyan távolinak tűnik, mint a trójai háború, a képek azonban megmutatják az embereket. Ez a háború a mi háborúnk is volt. Ha jobban megértjük, talán nekünk sikerülhet az, ami nem sikerült az akkoriaknak: hogy urai legyünk tulajdon sorsunknak.
355 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
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About the author
A.J.P. Taylor
114 books195 followersAlan John Percivale Taylor was an English historian of the 20th century and renowned academic who became well known to millions through his popular television lectures.
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July 16, 2019At the end of Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, Troilus ascending towards Heaven looks back on his earthly passion with disdain, and the difference that a change in perspective can make was something that very much struck me about A.J.P. Taylor's attitude towards the First World War as my impression was that Taylor was looking at the war as a whole, taking into account the social, political and personal structures. For example some stress recently has been laid upon the idea of the difficulties that the Generals faced in having to respond to a kind of warfare that they were not prepared for and did not have training, weapons or staff structures to deal with. All this is already implicit here in a book from 1963. There are I suppose in historiography, rather like the First World War itself, only so many potential fronts that a historian can approach.
The book opens with the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie Chotek at Sarajevo. By pointing out that the visit there had been a wedding anniversary treat for them – since it was only when acting in his capacity as head of the army that Sophie was afforded full honours on account of her family not being noble enough by Hapsburg standards – added a new degree of poignancy to the affair. Perhaps wrongly, maybe Sophie Chotek enjoyed parades .
Taylor's war, and perhaps his understanding of history more generally, is shaped very powerfully by the awareness of people in positions of power of public opinion, and their desire to look powerful and decisive while at all costs avoiding looking stupid. This desire inevitably leads not only to carrying out stupid actions, but also covering them up in some way or another. One example of this is what he describes as 'cigar butt' strategy: "Someone, Churchill or another, looked at a map of Europe; pointed to a spot with the end of his cigar; and said: 'let us go there.'" (p72) "Ignorant that Gallipoli has steep cliffs, and Salonika a background of mountains" (ibid). Having committed to campaign it was difficult to back down without finding some kind of scapegoat, a clever one hit upon by the British early on was that munitions workers were spending all their money down the pub at lunchtime therefore putting together defective artillery shells in the afternoon therefore causing British offensives to fail. The answer to which naturally was to close the pubs during the day, a state of affairs which continued until 2005. Of course assaulting fixed defensive positions with insufficient manpower, which had been hastily trained to advance only in lines, without prior reconnaissance of enemy targets wasn't the problem at all. However the important thing was that nobody important had to admit in public to be being silly, over confident, or completely out of their depth.
The other side of his argument is the technical side in particular the role of the railways. He points out that one reason the defensive was stronger during the First World War was because once you moved away from the railhead troops moved on foot and supplies were carried by horses. The offensive went forward on legs while the defence was steampowered. The western front – which was relatively densely served by railways – was therefore effectively deadlocked, while the eastern front – which had a relatively thin railnet – was much more fluid.
It is a curious thing that so many books with 'First World War' in the title claims up front to have a global perspective only to have the parochialism of their outlook made clear by the contents. And Taylor here sums up the campaigns outside of Europe in about a page, pausing to mention soldiers from the British Empire drawn into the conflict whether Canadians at Vimy Ridge or Indians in Mesopotamia, barely pausing for breath before squeezing in a quick jibe “Most of Germany's other colonies in Africa were easily overrun – more to have something to bargain with if it came to peace negotiations than for their value, or perhaps merely because it was a British tradition to make colonial gains in wartime” (p45).
Taylor doesn't express it this way but there are many examples of a failure of project management. No consideration of how to cope with the risk of success for example when the British army really couldn't cope with the number of men who volunteered in response to Lord Kitchener's invitation leading to an emphasis on an overly basic training teaching reliance on the bayonet and to advance in lines. A failure to provide up to date maps, load ships so that the immediately required items would be unloaded first, create a clear structure of command and lines of communication – which not only did not exist between allied armies but even within them with squabbles over control over men, ships or equipment leading to campaigns being under manned or equipped.
The politician who emerges well in Taylor's account, despite his womanising, is Lloyd George – pushing through convoys on a reluctant Admiralty, organising war finance and munitions, pushing for a joint-Anglo-French military command and co-ordination, and given his role in forcing through the People's Budget of 1909 with its provision of a universal old age pension, and the Parliament Act of 1911 which forced the supremacy of the Commons over the House of Lords emerges as one of the paramount figures in twentieth-century British politics. Of the generals, the Diomedes our Troilus looks down upon, Falkenhayn comes across as his favourite and is judged as the most effective – perhaps in part because he seems to have been pessimistic as to the chances of a German victory quite early on. Hamilton who was in command at Gallipoli surprisingly comes out quite well, despite his fatal flaw of being too polite to give his subordinates direct orders for the most part.
At the end of his book Taylor repeats the line attributed to Ludendorff, allegedly invented by the late Tory MP and diarist Alan Clarke but apparently already in circulation before he put pen to paper that the British soldiers were 'lions led by donkeys'. But what is clear is that any lion like qualities among the soldiers of any of the states were not intrinsic but created. In Britain there were people like Horato Bottomley who earned over £78,000 “money at once squandered on racehorses, women, and champagne” (p56) as a recruiting orator, newspapers reported stories of atrocities whether true or purely invented, posters provided a backdrop of constant moral blackmail . This was the other side of the public opinion coin, having stamped a simple war enthusiasm on one side there was no room on the other side or doubt or considered strategies. In the face of the enthusiasm that had been created no one could back down, admit to failure, or the often blatant mismanagement.
This is an illustrated history, the captions are a fair testimony to Taylor's taste for the well pointed phrase: “Lloyd George casts an expert eye over munitions girls” (p85) sticks in mind, admittedly this is only amusing if you know that he was said to be indefatigable in his efforts to make himself Father of the Nation - although in practise he simply had one wife at home in Wales and a substitute wife at parliament in the shape of his secretary.
The major weakness of the book, and this is not unique to Taylor's history, is how the narrative is weighed in favour of the perspective of the Westminster War Cabinet and the British Generals. The French get a bit of a look in, then in descending order the Germans the Italians, the Americans and the Russians, the Austrians, then the Turks, Bulgarians and the rest rating a couple of sentences.
However on the flip-side what I enjoyed about his coverage of the British position were the reoccurring ironies: Emily Pankhurst's daughter flipping from ardent anti-authority street fighter and social revolutionary to sworn defender of the given order more or less overnight as though the Kaiser was the one who had been hoch personlich holding back suffrage from British women for all those years, and the Ulster figures who prior to 1914 had been on the verge of civil war against the Westminster parliament over Home Rule but who get to reinvent themselves as born in the Union Jack once the independence movement in southern Ireland eventually began to get moving.
Taylor's style in which he refuses to take the politicians' and the generals' self-importance seriously appeals to me. The commemoration of the war feels to me to tend too much towards a simplistic and a dangerous patriotism in which we accept those politicians and generals as tragic figures rather than as occasionally inspired schemers and time-servers – mostly tragically out of their depths . The war was a human creation, managed by ordinary humans who may well have honestly done their best when unfortunately for the lives of many, their best really just wasn't terribly good. Taylor's tart tone is an exercise in active citizenship – scrutinising the actions of those engaged in public leadership. It's all a matter of, like Troilus, finding the perspective to view events.
Clemenceau said: 'war is too serious a matter to be left to generals.' Experience also showed that it was too serious a matter to be left to statesmen (p287)
The book opens with the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie Chotek at Sarajevo. By pointing out that the visit there had been a wedding anniversary treat for them – since it was only when acting in his capacity as head of the army that Sophie was afforded full honours on account of her family not being noble enough by Hapsburg standards – added a new degree of poignancy to the affair. Perhaps wrongly, maybe Sophie Chotek enjoyed parades .
Taylor's war, and perhaps his understanding of history more generally, is shaped very powerfully by the awareness of people in positions of power of public opinion, and their desire to look powerful and decisive while at all costs avoiding looking stupid. This desire inevitably leads not only to carrying out stupid actions, but also covering them up in some way or another. One example of this is what he describes as 'cigar butt' strategy: "Someone, Churchill or another, looked at a map of Europe; pointed to a spot with the end of his cigar; and said: 'let us go there.'" (p72) "Ignorant that Gallipoli has steep cliffs, and Salonika a background of mountains" (ibid). Having committed to campaign it was difficult to back down without finding some kind of scapegoat, a clever one hit upon by the British early on was that munitions workers were spending all their money down the pub at lunchtime therefore putting together defective artillery shells in the afternoon therefore causing British offensives to fail. The answer to which naturally was to close the pubs during the day, a state of affairs which continued until 2005. Of course assaulting fixed defensive positions with insufficient manpower, which had been hastily trained to advance only in lines, without prior reconnaissance of enemy targets wasn't the problem at all. However the important thing was that nobody important had to admit in public to be being silly, over confident, or completely out of their depth.
The other side of his argument is the technical side in particular the role of the railways. He points out that one reason the defensive was stronger during the First World War was because once you moved away from the railhead troops moved on foot and supplies were carried by horses. The offensive went forward on legs while the defence was steampowered. The western front – which was relatively densely served by railways – was therefore effectively deadlocked, while the eastern front – which had a relatively thin railnet – was much more fluid.
It is a curious thing that so many books with 'First World War' in the title claims up front to have a global perspective only to have the parochialism of their outlook made clear by the contents. And Taylor here sums up the campaigns outside of Europe in about a page, pausing to mention soldiers from the British Empire drawn into the conflict whether Canadians at Vimy Ridge or Indians in Mesopotamia, barely pausing for breath before squeezing in a quick jibe “Most of Germany's other colonies in Africa were easily overrun – more to have something to bargain with if it came to peace negotiations than for their value, or perhaps merely because it was a British tradition to make colonial gains in wartime” (p45).
Taylor doesn't express it this way but there are many examples of a failure of project management. No consideration of how to cope with the risk of success for example when the British army really couldn't cope with the number of men who volunteered in response to Lord Kitchener's invitation leading to an emphasis on an overly basic training teaching reliance on the bayonet and to advance in lines. A failure to provide up to date maps, load ships so that the immediately required items would be unloaded first, create a clear structure of command and lines of communication – which not only did not exist between allied armies but even within them with squabbles over control over men, ships or equipment leading to campaigns being under manned or equipped.
The politician who emerges well in Taylor's account, despite his womanising, is Lloyd George – pushing through convoys on a reluctant Admiralty, organising war finance and munitions, pushing for a joint-Anglo-French military command and co-ordination, and given his role in forcing through the People's Budget of 1909 with its provision of a universal old age pension, and the Parliament Act of 1911 which forced the supremacy of the Commons over the House of Lords emerges as one of the paramount figures in twentieth-century British politics. Of the generals, the Diomedes our Troilus looks down upon, Falkenhayn comes across as his favourite and is judged as the most effective – perhaps in part because he seems to have been pessimistic as to the chances of a German victory quite early on. Hamilton who was in command at Gallipoli surprisingly comes out quite well, despite his fatal flaw of being too polite to give his subordinates direct orders for the most part.
At the end of his book Taylor repeats the line attributed to Ludendorff, allegedly invented by the late Tory MP and diarist Alan Clarke but apparently already in circulation before he put pen to paper that the British soldiers were 'lions led by donkeys'. But what is clear is that any lion like qualities among the soldiers of any of the states were not intrinsic but created. In Britain there were people like Horato Bottomley who earned over £78,000 “money at once squandered on racehorses, women, and champagne” (p56) as a recruiting orator, newspapers reported stories of atrocities whether true or purely invented, posters provided a backdrop of constant moral blackmail . This was the other side of the public opinion coin, having stamped a simple war enthusiasm on one side there was no room on the other side or doubt or considered strategies. In the face of the enthusiasm that had been created no one could back down, admit to failure, or the often blatant mismanagement.
This is an illustrated history, the captions are a fair testimony to Taylor's taste for the well pointed phrase: “Lloyd George casts an expert eye over munitions girls” (p85) sticks in mind, admittedly this is only amusing if you know that he was said to be indefatigable in his efforts to make himself Father of the Nation - although in practise he simply had one wife at home in Wales and a substitute wife at parliament in the shape of his secretary.
The major weakness of the book, and this is not unique to Taylor's history, is how the narrative is weighed in favour of the perspective of the Westminster War Cabinet and the British Generals. The French get a bit of a look in, then in descending order the Germans the Italians, the Americans and the Russians, the Austrians, then the Turks, Bulgarians and the rest rating a couple of sentences.
However on the flip-side what I enjoyed about his coverage of the British position were the reoccurring ironies: Emily Pankhurst's daughter flipping from ardent anti-authority street fighter and social revolutionary to sworn defender of the given order more or less overnight as though the Kaiser was the one who had been hoch personlich holding back suffrage from British women for all those years, and the Ulster figures who prior to 1914 had been on the verge of civil war against the Westminster parliament over Home Rule but who get to reinvent themselves as born in the Union Jack once the independence movement in southern Ireland eventually began to get moving.
Taylor's style in which he refuses to take the politicians' and the generals' self-importance seriously appeals to me. The commemoration of the war feels to me to tend too much towards a simplistic and a dangerous patriotism in which we accept those politicians and generals as tragic figures rather than as occasionally inspired schemers and time-servers – mostly tragically out of their depths . The war was a human creation, managed by ordinary humans who may well have honestly done their best when unfortunately for the lives of many, their best really just wasn't terribly good. Taylor's tart tone is an exercise in active citizenship – scrutinising the actions of those engaged in public leadership. It's all a matter of, like Troilus, finding the perspective to view events.
Clemenceau said: 'war is too serious a matter to be left to generals.' Experience also showed that it was too serious a matter to be left to statesmen (p287)
May 27, 2022
Dalam buku ini, AJP Taylor menerangkan secara menyeluruh dengan ayat-ayat sindiran tentang Jeneral-jeneral, pembesar, negarawan, orang politik serta mereka yang terbabit disebalik tabir Perang Dunia Pertama. Penulisan buku ini dengan bahasa bersahaja menerangkan tentang perang dunia pertama bermula dengan punca, matlamat, sedutan-sedutan peristiwa serangan dan diakhiri dengan kesan perang ini secara keseluruhan. Buku ini menjadi lebih menarik apabila disertakan dengan peta-peta dan gambar-gambar keadaan ketika perang, gambar-gambar rakyat yang menjadi mangsa peperangan berbaris panjang menunggu makanan serta desa yang hancur ranap, ahli-ahli politik serta pembesar-pembesar negara yang memberi arahan dan aksi mereka di luar dan dalam perbarisan dengan caption sindiran juga gambar-gambar alatan jentera pemusnah dan gambar-gambar yang membawa kita ke parit-parit dan kilang senjata.
November 14, 2018
An interesting comprehensive history of the First World War accompanied by rich photographic material and many enlightening maps. As a collection of photos is definitely an excellent book but I have several objections to the text. I do not know if I have spoil myself with the more detailed books and so everything else seems to me to be inadequate but the text seemed hasty and in some cases simplistic, although it has some very interesting views. Surely, however, is a book quite useful for those who want to learn about the First World War without spending a lot of time.
June 11, 2021
Baru selesai bacaan kedua, dan menterjemahkan buku ini. Siapa AJP Taylor dan apa kepentingannya untuk diterjemahkan? Saya boleh katakan, pertama, kerana penulisannya bersifat menyeluruh walau tidak terlalu khusus. Cukup sebagai pintu kepada PDP. Kedua, lenggok bahasanya yang selamba dan bersahaja, ini sebab, seperti syarahan-syarahannya, penulisan sejarahnya tidak bertele walaupun sesekali bercampur campir. Namun ada kesepaduan penceritaan dalam keselerakan tersebut. Ketiga, gambar, berserta kapsyen yang sinis dan sesekali lucu. Lain pada itu, aku fikir kamu kena carinya sendiri nanti.
Nantikan terbitannya hujung tahun ini, kalau tak ada halangan.
Nantikan terbitannya hujung tahun ini, kalau tak ada halangan.
January 30, 2022
Adakah Perang Dunia Pertama hanya sekadar bermula daripada pembunuhan Archduke Franz Ferdinard dan isterinya?
Jika lihat lebih luas, ia bermula seawal lewat abad ke-19. Perjalanan empayar besar dan negara bangsa ketika itu menjadi tapak perang ini.
Buku ini merupakan buku pertama penulis yang dibaca. Secara umumnya, beliau menceritakan perjalanan perang dengan bahasa yang bersahaja dan tidak melambakkan dengan fakta semata-mata.
Kesimpulannya, perang yang dikatakan paling banyak memakan korban ini cumalah medan untuk mempertahankan ego kuasa bagi yang terlibat. Kesannya sangat besar bahkan menjadi tapak kepada satu lagi perang dunia 20 tahun kemudian.
Jika lihat lebih luas, ia bermula seawal lewat abad ke-19. Perjalanan empayar besar dan negara bangsa ketika itu menjadi tapak perang ini.
Buku ini merupakan buku pertama penulis yang dibaca. Secara umumnya, beliau menceritakan perjalanan perang dengan bahasa yang bersahaja dan tidak melambakkan dengan fakta semata-mata.
Kesimpulannya, perang yang dikatakan paling banyak memakan korban ini cumalah medan untuk mempertahankan ego kuasa bagi yang terlibat. Kesannya sangat besar bahkan menjadi tapak kepada satu lagi perang dunia 20 tahun kemudian.
March 8, 2021
I thought this author did a great job in writing about the war. Great prose style; mild sarcasm and wit in places. Not afraid to take a position and defend it. Critical of all of the generals. I am looking forward to reading his book on origins of WW2
February 3, 2022
" ظاهراً تنها پیروزی بود که امنیت را تضمین میکرد؛ و سربازان جنگ را ادامه دادند تا یقین حاصل کنند که هرگز جنگ دیگری روی نخواهد داد. "
Read
May 16, 2025lost me in the second half. strong focus on geopolitics and strategies, barely touched the human aspect of the war.
April 16, 2025
Amazingly readable and highly informative with photos from the time making even more digestible. So good I would highly recommend!!
July 12, 2014
Not a bad book, but I was expecting something more gripping from the author of "War by timetable". The photos are interesting but I didn't feel there was much in the collection that really caught my eye, except for a splendid picture of President Wilson with a daft expression on his face.
The text is well written and it covers the war from causes to effects in an even spread, although it cannot be more than a quick flick through events given how short the text is. I did find both the text and, more notable, the captions to the photos, to be a little sarcastic. Taylor appears to have had little admiration or respect for anyone involved in the war or politics of the time. In the circumstances, perhaps that is appropriate, but it doesn't seem entirely fair. Would Taylor have fared better?
Anyway, Taylor is always entertaining and there's plenty of food for thought in the book. Enjoy.
The text is well written and it covers the war from causes to effects in an even spread, although it cannot be more than a quick flick through events given how short the text is. I did find both the text and, more notable, the captions to the photos, to be a little sarcastic. Taylor appears to have had little admiration or respect for anyone involved in the war or politics of the time. In the circumstances, perhaps that is appropriate, but it doesn't seem entirely fair. Would Taylor have fared better?
Anyway, Taylor is always entertaining and there's plenty of food for thought in the book. Enjoy.
August 11, 2007
It's a good, easily digestible outline of WWI. Not a lot of detail, but just to get a basic understanding of events.
December 10, 2022
It's fair to say that both World Wars, but especially the First, occupy a lot of my interest in terms of history. I've found both wars to be intriguing, but the First World War has the advantage of being fascinating because, by all rights, it should never have begun or been conducted in as horrific a manner as it ultimately did. The nineteenth century really died in the trenches of northern France, as cavalry charges and victory laurels came up against machine guns and poison gas. The First World War has had aftershocks on world history dating to even our present-day history, and will likely continue to do so long after.
"The First World War: An Illustrated History," by A.J.P. Taylor, is a great find that I made at a now-shuttered local bookstore not long ago, bought on a whim and a notion that "I'll get around to it eventually." It's likely my first Taylor-authored book (though I feel like there's a chance the short Bismarck biography I read years ago might have been his work; the writing style is very similar), and I have to say, I might become a fan. Taylor casts a cynical, world-weary eye towards the arguments on both sides of the conflict, and concludes for the most part that the war was a confluence of mistakes that led to four years of unmitigated slaughter.
The book is a broad overview of the events and, as such, shouldn't be considered an in-depth look at the war (though it does a good job of summary with regards to the big events and some smaller, less-known episodes). Taylor incorporates a lot of photos in his text (hence the subtitle), and many of the photos are stunning reminders of how awful and cruel the war was. There are some more mundane pictures mixed in (Franz Ferdinand and his family, various posed pictures of generals looking pristine in their uniforms and far removed from the front lines), and these help to break up the text at times. But I really enjoyed Taylor's views on the war, and would be rather inclined to agree with him about some of the futility of the whole endeavor. The First World War didn't need to happen, but it has proven to be a conflict that is endlessly fascinating and whose lessons continue to register (or fail to do so) with succeeding generations. The "war to end all wars" gave birth to the murderous twentieth century, and A.J.P. Taylor helps put that into context in this very good overview of the conflict.
"The First World War: An Illustrated History," by A.J.P. Taylor, is a great find that I made at a now-shuttered local bookstore not long ago, bought on a whim and a notion that "I'll get around to it eventually." It's likely my first Taylor-authored book (though I feel like there's a chance the short Bismarck biography I read years ago might have been his work; the writing style is very similar), and I have to say, I might become a fan. Taylor casts a cynical, world-weary eye towards the arguments on both sides of the conflict, and concludes for the most part that the war was a confluence of mistakes that led to four years of unmitigated slaughter.
The book is a broad overview of the events and, as such, shouldn't be considered an in-depth look at the war (though it does a good job of summary with regards to the big events and some smaller, less-known episodes). Taylor incorporates a lot of photos in his text (hence the subtitle), and many of the photos are stunning reminders of how awful and cruel the war was. There are some more mundane pictures mixed in (Franz Ferdinand and his family, various posed pictures of generals looking pristine in their uniforms and far removed from the front lines), and these help to break up the text at times. But I really enjoyed Taylor's views on the war, and would be rather inclined to agree with him about some of the futility of the whole endeavor. The First World War didn't need to happen, but it has proven to be a conflict that is endlessly fascinating and whose lessons continue to register (or fail to do so) with succeeding generations. The "war to end all wars" gave birth to the murderous twentieth century, and A.J.P. Taylor helps put that into context in this very good overview of the conflict.
January 11, 2025
Sebagai 'Disclaimer',saya secara peribadi tidak mempunyai masalah dengan isi penyampaian buku ini. Secara amnya,saya berpandangan buku hasil tulisan mendiang A.J.P. Taylor ini merupakan sebuah buku 'Introductory' yang baik untuk mereka yang ingin mengkaji Perang Dunia Pertama buat kali pertama.
Namun demikian,saya mempunyai isu mengenai mutu atau kualiti terjemahan buku ini yang dilakukan oleh IBDE. Bukan sahaja terdapat beberapa terjemahan perkataan yang salah atau silap maksudnya. Malahan,akibat terlalu mengikut lenggok Bahasa Inggeris, terjemahan di dalam Bahasa Melayu menjadi pelik dan sukar untuk saya fahami. Sebagai contoh,terjemahan perkataan 'states' sepatutnya diterjemahkan sebagai 'negara-negara' dan bukannya 'negeri-negeri',jika kita lihat di dalam konteks atau latar belakang sejarah geopolitik dunia. Adakah terjemahan menggunakan 'Google Translate' tanpa melakukan pengubahsuaian atau pembetulan yang sepatutnya?
Tambah mengecewakan,terdapatnya penggunaan perkataan yang saya fikir mungkin digunakan untuk lebih 'appealing' kepada pembaca Generasi Z/Alpha. Jika benar,itu adalah satu keputusan yang bodoh dan sepatutnya tidak berlaku! Jika buku ini adalah terjemahan buku fiksyen yang bergenre 'Young Adult',mungkin saya boleh terima. Tetapi,tidak untuk terjemahan sebuah buku bukan fiksyen yang membincangkan satu bab sejarah yang amat penting dalam peradaban manusia.
Sebagai penerbit yang giat menterjemahkan buku-buku ke dalam Bahasa Melayu (yang disokong pula oleh Kerajaan Negeri Selangor dan Perbadanan Perpustakaan Awam Selangor),sejujurnya,saya mengharapkan kualiti terjemahan yang lebih bagus daripada ini. Mungkin pihak IBDE perlu mengupah penterjemah yang lebih arif mengenai subjek yang ingin diterjemah berbanding penterjemah yang umum. Ilmu terjemahan sebenarnya bukanlah hanya semata-mata menterjemahkan sesuatu perkataan atau ayat dari satu bahasa ke satu bahasa yang lain. Terjemahan juga merupakan satu seni untuk bagaimana memastikan kumpulan sasaran memahami apa yang ingin disampaikan oleh sumber asal.
Namun demikian,saya mempunyai isu mengenai mutu atau kualiti terjemahan buku ini yang dilakukan oleh IBDE. Bukan sahaja terdapat beberapa terjemahan perkataan yang salah atau silap maksudnya. Malahan,akibat terlalu mengikut lenggok Bahasa Inggeris, terjemahan di dalam Bahasa Melayu menjadi pelik dan sukar untuk saya fahami. Sebagai contoh,terjemahan perkataan 'states' sepatutnya diterjemahkan sebagai 'negara-negara' dan bukannya 'negeri-negeri',jika kita lihat di dalam konteks atau latar belakang sejarah geopolitik dunia. Adakah terjemahan menggunakan 'Google Translate' tanpa melakukan pengubahsuaian atau pembetulan yang sepatutnya?
Tambah mengecewakan,terdapatnya penggunaan perkataan yang saya fikir mungkin digunakan untuk lebih 'appealing' kepada pembaca Generasi Z/Alpha. Jika benar,itu adalah satu keputusan yang bodoh dan sepatutnya tidak berlaku! Jika buku ini adalah terjemahan buku fiksyen yang bergenre 'Young Adult',mungkin saya boleh terima. Tetapi,tidak untuk terjemahan sebuah buku bukan fiksyen yang membincangkan satu bab sejarah yang amat penting dalam peradaban manusia.
Sebagai penerbit yang giat menterjemahkan buku-buku ke dalam Bahasa Melayu (yang disokong pula oleh Kerajaan Negeri Selangor dan Perbadanan Perpustakaan Awam Selangor),sejujurnya,saya mengharapkan kualiti terjemahan yang lebih bagus daripada ini. Mungkin pihak IBDE perlu mengupah penterjemah yang lebih arif mengenai subjek yang ingin diterjemah berbanding penterjemah yang umum. Ilmu terjemahan sebenarnya bukanlah hanya semata-mata menterjemahkan sesuatu perkataan atau ayat dari satu bahasa ke satu bahasa yang lain. Terjemahan juga merupakan satu seni untuk bagaimana memastikan kumpulan sasaran memahami apa yang ingin disampaikan oleh sumber asal.
May 14, 2020
This book is an odd mixture. The many photographs give a sense of what it would have been like to have lived through the war. The text doesn't.
The writing is all of the style of "General X did this. General Y responded by doing that. President Z disagreed. He ordered General X to ..." And on and on it goes. If the ordinary soldiers were "lions led by donkeys", then this book is very much the story of the donkeys.
I suppose it's a generational issue. The teaching of history used to be mainly about the doings of the famous and powerful. Now we have a stronger bias towards social history. We expect our history to be more about the "ordinary" people instead of focusing almost solely on the rulers and decision makers.
When we read a book like this we are getting two perspectives of history. Obviously, we are getting an account of 1914-1918. But we are also getting a sense of 1963, when this book was published. Or more accurately, the late 1950s when the book would have been researched. The trend towards more social history hadn't really begun.
Recommended ... ish. It's an easy read. It seems comprehensive. The photographs are excellent. But don't be surprised if the perspective feels a little old fashioned. It's a 120+ year old story told from the perspective of more than 50 years ago.
The writing is all of the style of "General X did this. General Y responded by doing that. President Z disagreed. He ordered General X to ..." And on and on it goes. If the ordinary soldiers were "lions led by donkeys", then this book is very much the story of the donkeys.
I suppose it's a generational issue. The teaching of history used to be mainly about the doings of the famous and powerful. Now we have a stronger bias towards social history. We expect our history to be more about the "ordinary" people instead of focusing almost solely on the rulers and decision makers.
When we read a book like this we are getting two perspectives of history. Obviously, we are getting an account of 1914-1918. But we are also getting a sense of 1963, when this book was published. Or more accurately, the late 1950s when the book would have been researched. The trend towards more social history hadn't really begun.
Recommended ... ish. It's an easy read. It seems comprehensive. The photographs are excellent. But don't be surprised if the perspective feels a little old fashioned. It's a 120+ year old story told from the perspective of more than 50 years ago.
December 15, 2022
Sebuah perang yang gila, dipimpin oleh orang-orang gila kuasa dan tamak. Yang rugi dan melarat tentulah rakyat dengan para tenteta yang terbunuh begitu ramai.
October 20, 2022
The most concise of histories but which tells you all that you need to know. The captions that accompany the photographs are sublime.
December 30, 2017
Look at a map of Europe and the Middle East in 1913 and it will appear very different from today. Look at one in 1919 and it will appear very similar. That was the First World War, the most consequential (if not the bloodiest) conflict since Napoleon.
Oxford scholar Taylor's chronology is highly readable with considerable insights. (My favorite: who, more than anyone else, started the fighting? Clue: He was dead when the fighting started.)
Taylor presumes the reader knows something about that period, and the maps are quite wanting. Still, it gives a perspective, particularly on the wrangling between the war leaders, that is not only fascinating but illuminating for our own time.
Oxford scholar Taylor's chronology is highly readable with considerable insights. (My favorite: who, more than anyone else, started the fighting? Clue: He was dead when the fighting started.)
Taylor presumes the reader knows something about that period, and the maps are quite wanting. Still, it gives a perspective, particularly on the wrangling between the war leaders, that is not only fascinating but illuminating for our own time.
March 24, 2014
This work of Taylor canont be recommended a an entry point to understand the first world war. Though the major events and theaters are covered, they fail to leave a lasting impression or make one realize the significance of the event. Contrary to my expectations, the illustrations too fell short and were not arresting enough to convey the 'stories' behind the pictures. Nevertheless, it was refreshing as a breezy read.
June 4, 2021
Amazing feat to be able to summarize the war in 200 pages. I learned a few new facts, but the overall theme that stuck with me is how disorganized the war was from start to finish. Due to its brief nature, I’m still curious about other elements like the mutiny and takeover of Kiel. This book makes me want to get on to my next non-fiction quickly!
March 13, 2010
Intelligent, in-depth, comprehensible guide to the war.
Read
March 13, 2025The First World War: An Illustrated History was the first World War One book (leaving aside Letters from a Lost Generation) I have read in a while. I did not know it before finding it at the local second-hand book store, so I’m curious to see how many people have rated this once I upload this review to Goodreads (edit: not that many it seems). I picked it up as it seemed like a good introduction to the Great War before diving into The Price of Glory by Alistair Horne, which I have wanted to get to for a while. But this review is about Ajp Taylors book, so lets get on with it.
The thing I have certainly enjoyed most about The First World War: An Illustrated History is already in its title: The photographs. I have until now seen relatively few photographs taken during the war and they enhanced the reading experience quite a lot. The book itself is not bad either, yet Taylors own opinion of the major actors during the war shines through quite clearly, something which I did not like. I did not like it because I do not know enough about the subject in order to formulate my own opinion, nor to know if there is something like a general consensus (on for example Joffre being a bad general). As written before, the book is not bad, however it is not great either. There are some memorable passages such as the following on Verdun: “Verdun was the most senseless episode in a war not distinguished for sense anywhere. Both sides at Verdun fought literally for the sake of fighting. There was no prize to be gained or lost, only men to be killed and glory to be won.” Passages like these are the exceptions though and most of the book is written without being particularly engaging.
Furthermore some statements are quite dubious, for example his argument that (European history ended and) world history began in 1917. Which he bases solely on the fact that Lenin and Woodrow Wilson entered the greater political discourse. It sounds poetic, but hardly holds up to scrutiny.
The First World War: An Illustrated History is neither a bad nor a particularly good book. It is an okay book. If you are interested in a general introduction to the First World War, it is not a bad starting point, especially considering the many fascinating images. Without them or if you do not care about them I suggest you read A World Undone, in most ways a better book (as far as I can remember).
The thing I have certainly enjoyed most about The First World War: An Illustrated History is already in its title: The photographs. I have until now seen relatively few photographs taken during the war and they enhanced the reading experience quite a lot. The book itself is not bad either, yet Taylors own opinion of the major actors during the war shines through quite clearly, something which I did not like. I did not like it because I do not know enough about the subject in order to formulate my own opinion, nor to know if there is something like a general consensus (on for example Joffre being a bad general). As written before, the book is not bad, however it is not great either. There are some memorable passages such as the following on Verdun: “Verdun was the most senseless episode in a war not distinguished for sense anywhere. Both sides at Verdun fought literally for the sake of fighting. There was no prize to be gained or lost, only men to be killed and glory to be won.” Passages like these are the exceptions though and most of the book is written without being particularly engaging.
Furthermore some statements are quite dubious, for example his argument that (European history ended and) world history began in 1917. Which he bases solely on the fact that Lenin and Woodrow Wilson entered the greater political discourse. It sounds poetic, but hardly holds up to scrutiny.
The First World War: An Illustrated History is neither a bad nor a particularly good book. It is an okay book. If you are interested in a general introduction to the First World War, it is not a bad starting point, especially considering the many fascinating images. Without them or if you do not care about them I suggest you read A World Undone, in most ways a better book (as far as I can remember).
February 22, 2019
Good But Treat With Caution
AJP Taylor was always one of my favourite historians - far more readable than most - and this book is no exception. As the title implies, it is heavier on illustrations than text, but none the worse for that.
Contrary to what some have said, it is not primarily a diatribe against the generals. Taylor may not especially like them (how many do, aside from the late John Terraine?), but his verdict on Haig, in particular, is fair and even generous, especially for the time of writing
"He was a master of railway timetables, deploying divisions as skillfully as any general of his time. His strategical judgments were sound within the framework of the Western front, though he lacked the technical means for carrying them to success until almost the end of the war. - - - Haig had to do what he did, and, though he did not succeed, no one better was found to take his place."
Not a bad epitaph, especially compared to some others Haig has received.
Taylor is tougher on the politicians, who were, after all, in ultimate charge. He records how Joffre had sensibly decided to evacuate Verdun, only to be overruled by Briand. There are many verbal gems, notably his description of the Zimmermann note as "a bright idea such as only a Foreign Office could conceive".
On some points, his prejudices have been toned down, so that emaciated "victims of Allied intervention in Russia" in the first edition became "Victims of civil war in Russia" in the next and finally just "War and famine in Russia" in the paperback. But some still shine through. In particular, Lloyd George is an exception to his low opinion of the political leadership. He hardly has a bad word to say about the man, even swallowing whole his claim (almost certainly false) to have singlehandedly forced the Admiralty to introduce convoys. Taylor also states that American lenders to the Allies would have lost their money had Germany won the war. In fact this was only true of loans made after US entry into the war. The earlier ones were all secured on property in North America, beyond the reach even of a victorious Germany.
All in all, it's a good read but don't rely on it entirely. There are quite a few other histories of WW1 available, so get another to go with this one. But not instead of it. This book would be a great shame to miss.
AJP Taylor was always one of my favourite historians - far more readable than most - and this book is no exception. As the title implies, it is heavier on illustrations than text, but none the worse for that.
Contrary to what some have said, it is not primarily a diatribe against the generals. Taylor may not especially like them (how many do, aside from the late John Terraine?), but his verdict on Haig, in particular, is fair and even generous, especially for the time of writing
"He was a master of railway timetables, deploying divisions as skillfully as any general of his time. His strategical judgments were sound within the framework of the Western front, though he lacked the technical means for carrying them to success until almost the end of the war. - - - Haig had to do what he did, and, though he did not succeed, no one better was found to take his place."
Not a bad epitaph, especially compared to some others Haig has received.
Taylor is tougher on the politicians, who were, after all, in ultimate charge. He records how Joffre had sensibly decided to evacuate Verdun, only to be overruled by Briand. There are many verbal gems, notably his description of the Zimmermann note as "a bright idea such as only a Foreign Office could conceive".
On some points, his prejudices have been toned down, so that emaciated "victims of Allied intervention in Russia" in the first edition became "Victims of civil war in Russia" in the next and finally just "War and famine in Russia" in the paperback. But some still shine through. In particular, Lloyd George is an exception to his low opinion of the political leadership. He hardly has a bad word to say about the man, even swallowing whole his claim (almost certainly false) to have singlehandedly forced the Admiralty to introduce convoys. Taylor also states that American lenders to the Allies would have lost their money had Germany won the war. In fact this was only true of loans made after US entry into the war. The earlier ones were all secured on property in North America, beyond the reach even of a victorious Germany.
All in all, it's a good read but don't rely on it entirely. There are quite a few other histories of WW1 available, so get another to go with this one. But not instead of it. This book would be a great shame to miss.
Read
November 24, 2025Perang Dunia Pertama. Karya terjemahan AJP Taylor terbitan IBDE Ilham Sdn Bhd. Kulitnya kelihatan sebuah buku langka yang barangkali kurang diminati, tetapi kelangkaan pada kulit luarnya dan juga kebanyakan buku di reruai IBDE kelihatan klasik, maka tarikan untuk membelek buku terbitan syarikat ini semakin kuat. Reruai IBDE merupakan reruai kedua disinggahi di PBAKL 2023.
Tidak rugi membelek buku-buku di reruai ini. Banyak karya besar terjemahan daripada penulisan Arab, Inggeris dan lainnya. Perang dunia Pertama, Perang Dunia Kedua menarik begitu menarik untuk diimbas sepintas lalu. Cara penulisan penterjemahannya amat lancar untuk dibaca.
Sehelai peta Eropah yang 1914 dan 1918 merupakan cenderamata atas pembelian buku ini. Peta ini barangkali kelihatan tiada apa-apa yang mengujakan. Sebenarnya peta ini sangat penting lagi mengujakan. Ada perbezaan kecil pada peta yang menatijahkan satu sejarah tekal sampai kini. Pada 1914 kelihatan sebuah empayar Khalifah Uthman tetapi dalam peta 1918 yang ada ialah peta Turki dan pemisahan Syiria, Lubnan, Iraq, Armenia, Georgia dan sebagainya.
Buku ini lunak untuk dibaca. Bahasanya mudah seolah-olah menonton sebuah doku-sejarah yang sarat fakta dan maklumat serta timbul pula persoalan. Foto-foto hitam putih rakaman sebenar sudah tentu akan menambahkan lagi keasyikan membaca dokumen sejarah ini.
14 tajuk memenuhi 311 halaman sarat dengan fakta sedia untuk dihadam. Disebabkan bukan nak ambil peperiksaan kertas sejarah, maka membaca karya ini tak perlu serius sangat. Tak payah nak hafal apa-apa fakta pun, sekadar santapan minda untuk ambil peduli.
Tidak rugi membelek buku-buku di reruai ini. Banyak karya besar terjemahan daripada penulisan Arab, Inggeris dan lainnya. Perang dunia Pertama, Perang Dunia Kedua menarik begitu menarik untuk diimbas sepintas lalu. Cara penulisan penterjemahannya amat lancar untuk dibaca.
Sehelai peta Eropah yang 1914 dan 1918 merupakan cenderamata atas pembelian buku ini. Peta ini barangkali kelihatan tiada apa-apa yang mengujakan. Sebenarnya peta ini sangat penting lagi mengujakan. Ada perbezaan kecil pada peta yang menatijahkan satu sejarah tekal sampai kini. Pada 1914 kelihatan sebuah empayar Khalifah Uthman tetapi dalam peta 1918 yang ada ialah peta Turki dan pemisahan Syiria, Lubnan, Iraq, Armenia, Georgia dan sebagainya.
Buku ini lunak untuk dibaca. Bahasanya mudah seolah-olah menonton sebuah doku-sejarah yang sarat fakta dan maklumat serta timbul pula persoalan. Foto-foto hitam putih rakaman sebenar sudah tentu akan menambahkan lagi keasyikan membaca dokumen sejarah ini.
14 tajuk memenuhi 311 halaman sarat dengan fakta sedia untuk dihadam. Disebabkan bukan nak ambil peperiksaan kertas sejarah, maka membaca karya ini tak perlu serius sangat. Tak payah nak hafal apa-apa fakta pun, sekadar santapan minda untuk ambil peduli.
August 31, 2019
Another pointless sacrifice required: whether this book could be got away with now is an interesting point: AJP Taylor, a sort of David Starkey of the 60s and 70s (although less waspishly camp, and a vastly superior scholar) describes the outbreak, cause and non-conclusion of WW1 with a cynical, informed, occasionally sarcastic wit that is not quite as at odds with the modern tendency to hushed tones and reverential silence as it may first seem. An early subscriber to what might now be called the Blackadder theory of conflict, it’s his sympathy for the ordinary people - and especially the soldiers - that makes this attuned to modern mores.
The angry wit comes through mostly in the picture captions (a picture of Sir John French, discredited leader of the expeditionary force, running is labelled “French...in training for the retreat from Mons”. Most of the other generals from all sides receive similarly scathing treatment).
It’s an illustrated history and maybe there are a few too many grainy, low-res monochrome shots and the maps, also black and white, tend to mystify as much as enlighten. The stacccato sentences seem to come out of The Sun’s style guide and can irritate. Can’t they? These distractions aside, it’s a thoughtful, challenging read that says much about Britain’s approach to world affairs that’s still relevant today.
The angry wit comes through mostly in the picture captions (a picture of Sir John French, discredited leader of the expeditionary force, running is labelled “French...in training for the retreat from Mons”. Most of the other generals from all sides receive similarly scathing treatment).
It’s an illustrated history and maybe there are a few too many grainy, low-res monochrome shots and the maps, also black and white, tend to mystify as much as enlighten. The stacccato sentences seem to come out of The Sun’s style guide and can irritate. Can’t they? These distractions aside, it’s a thoughtful, challenging read that says much about Britain’s approach to world affairs that’s still relevant today.
June 21, 2018
A.J.P. Taylor was one of the most engaging historians of the 20th Century. His talent in stirring up controversy was matched only with his gifted ability to transmit ideas to the general public in an interesting and accessible way. ‘The First World War: An Illustrated History’ is a perfect example of this. The book is a straightforward narrative of the First World War written in a manner which excludes any distractions such as footnotes or even chapter divisions. It is an extremely simple way to present an overview of the war and it is all the more effective for it. It is lavishly illustrated with high-quality photographs and maps on each page which cannot help but make a strong impression on the reader.
This is a highly readable book. In 200 pages, Taylor manages to give a concise narrative of the causes of the war, the events of the war and immediate consequences of the war. It is an excellent starting point to WWI.
This is a highly readable book. In 200 pages, Taylor manages to give a concise narrative of the causes of the war, the events of the war and immediate consequences of the war. It is an excellent starting point to WWI.
January 28, 2016
At a time when there remain no living protagonists to offer first hand account, the First World War centenary years of 2014 to 2018 are destined to provide numerous reminders and analyses of the course of the conflict. This absence of first hand recollection may now allow us to view of these events more dispassionately, through a non-distorting historical lens that lets us sift through detail to identify salient points, even learn lessons. On the other hand, it might just enable us to ignore or merely overlook essential points that, once appreciated, might inform the way we interpret the whole.
In the mid-1960s, of course, World War One celebrated – if that might be an appropriate word – its fiftieth anniversary. At the time there were many living survivors of the conflict, with most of them in their sixties and seventies and thus still very much able to contribute their own opinions, criticisms or praise when confronted with published accounts.
This, therefore, may be the perfect time to revisit an apparently popular work that, despite its title, offers nothing less than a rigorous, considered and utterly serious account of the conflict. The book in question is AJP Taylor’s The First World War: An Illustrated History. Yes, there are many photographs, but this is much more than a picture book. Yes, the intention was to bring the history of the war to a mass audience, but AJP Taylor’s text never talks down to its readers. The descriptions, though often succinct, are admirably detailed. The analysis is both pertinent and hard-hitting. And, most importantly, Taylor brings a professional historian’s perspective to bear on official figures, standpoints and policies, all of which receive critical scrutiny and, where appropriate, rigorous evaluation.
The sheer scale of the butchery simply staggers. Twenty thousand British died in one morning on the Somme. Men advanced so slowly through the mud of Paschendale that they sank in and, motionless, provided static target practice for machine gunners. Sufficiently staggered, the reader must then be prepared to be shocked when Taylor points out that all this butchery was no less than the main plank of the allied military strategy. The commanders believed in the power of simple arithmetic. Britain, France and Belgium combined, certainly when Russia was also included, would eventually prevail over the more limited numbers of men that could be supplied by Germany and Austro-Hungary. It was simply a matter of numbers. When we have killed all of theirs, the logic went, we will still have some men left. This was the level of intellect that was brought to bear on the act of planning by the commanders, while lower ranks, it was assumed, would simply do as they were told. No wonder the German high command described the British as “Lions led by donkeys”. It seems that to this day little has changed in British society.
Not that German commanders were any better… Indeed, the ruling class as a whole, it seemed, was particularly backward at coming forward. They repeatedly showed themselves capable of pointing at places on maps, places they neither knew nor had ever visited, where offensives would be planned and fought, places where young men would be slaughtered to achieve precisely nothing. A reader of such a history nowadays cannot but conclude that some of these very famous political and military figures, had they been alive today and plying such a trade, would be tried as war criminals, and tried for what they inflicted on their own people, not for what they did to the enemy.
No-one, for instance, initially realised that gas used against an enemy on the battlefield might also harm one’s own forces. How about men ordered over the top only to be killed by shrapnel wounds to the back of the head because their own covering artillery were firing at the wrong range, causing friendly fire to burst behind their own lines? How about the landing of forces in Salonika, in a place where they could never make any headway because of the lie of the land? The forces concentrated there were effectively in a concentration camp of their own making. And then there was Gallipoli, the result of yet another ignorant point of a finger at a map.
But AJP Taylor’s book is also a pictorial history, and on occasions the pictures do tell more than words can offer. There’s a photograph, for instance, of a group of smiling chaps holding shovels and garden forks. The caption tells us that these are members of Eton College doing their bit. The irony is chilling. In the text Taylor does not maintain that the upper and upper-middle classes did not suffer as a result of the war, but he is clear throughout that those people who pursued this strategy of feeding battlefields with cannon fodder were precisely those people who suffered hardly any of the consequences of how the war was conducted. French troops did in fact mutiny as a result of a lack of confidence in their masters and thousands were charged with treason.
The First World War: An Illustrated History by AJP Taylor is a must read for anyone with even a passing interest in the war’s centenary. What AJP Taylor’s remarkably clear and insightful analysis continues to tell us is that we, even now, should not be complacent. Perhaps it is now impossible to send millions of young men to certain death, needless slaughter by design. But a dispassionate assessment of contemporary conflict must conclude that today warfare is conducted largely against civilians who cannot fight back and, as apparently powerless observers, we continue to look on as conflicts continue to claim the lives of people who frankly don’t really care about which set of donkeys might lord it over them. A hundred years on, the donkeys clearly still have it - power, that is.
In the mid-1960s, of course, World War One celebrated – if that might be an appropriate word – its fiftieth anniversary. At the time there were many living survivors of the conflict, with most of them in their sixties and seventies and thus still very much able to contribute their own opinions, criticisms or praise when confronted with published accounts.
This, therefore, may be the perfect time to revisit an apparently popular work that, despite its title, offers nothing less than a rigorous, considered and utterly serious account of the conflict. The book in question is AJP Taylor’s The First World War: An Illustrated History. Yes, there are many photographs, but this is much more than a picture book. Yes, the intention was to bring the history of the war to a mass audience, but AJP Taylor’s text never talks down to its readers. The descriptions, though often succinct, are admirably detailed. The analysis is both pertinent and hard-hitting. And, most importantly, Taylor brings a professional historian’s perspective to bear on official figures, standpoints and policies, all of which receive critical scrutiny and, where appropriate, rigorous evaluation.
The sheer scale of the butchery simply staggers. Twenty thousand British died in one morning on the Somme. Men advanced so slowly through the mud of Paschendale that they sank in and, motionless, provided static target practice for machine gunners. Sufficiently staggered, the reader must then be prepared to be shocked when Taylor points out that all this butchery was no less than the main plank of the allied military strategy. The commanders believed in the power of simple arithmetic. Britain, France and Belgium combined, certainly when Russia was also included, would eventually prevail over the more limited numbers of men that could be supplied by Germany and Austro-Hungary. It was simply a matter of numbers. When we have killed all of theirs, the logic went, we will still have some men left. This was the level of intellect that was brought to bear on the act of planning by the commanders, while lower ranks, it was assumed, would simply do as they were told. No wonder the German high command described the British as “Lions led by donkeys”. It seems that to this day little has changed in British society.
Not that German commanders were any better… Indeed, the ruling class as a whole, it seemed, was particularly backward at coming forward. They repeatedly showed themselves capable of pointing at places on maps, places they neither knew nor had ever visited, where offensives would be planned and fought, places where young men would be slaughtered to achieve precisely nothing. A reader of such a history nowadays cannot but conclude that some of these very famous political and military figures, had they been alive today and plying such a trade, would be tried as war criminals, and tried for what they inflicted on their own people, not for what they did to the enemy.
No-one, for instance, initially realised that gas used against an enemy on the battlefield might also harm one’s own forces. How about men ordered over the top only to be killed by shrapnel wounds to the back of the head because their own covering artillery were firing at the wrong range, causing friendly fire to burst behind their own lines? How about the landing of forces in Salonika, in a place where they could never make any headway because of the lie of the land? The forces concentrated there were effectively in a concentration camp of their own making. And then there was Gallipoli, the result of yet another ignorant point of a finger at a map.
But AJP Taylor’s book is also a pictorial history, and on occasions the pictures do tell more than words can offer. There’s a photograph, for instance, of a group of smiling chaps holding shovels and garden forks. The caption tells us that these are members of Eton College doing their bit. The irony is chilling. In the text Taylor does not maintain that the upper and upper-middle classes did not suffer as a result of the war, but he is clear throughout that those people who pursued this strategy of feeding battlefields with cannon fodder were precisely those people who suffered hardly any of the consequences of how the war was conducted. French troops did in fact mutiny as a result of a lack of confidence in their masters and thousands were charged with treason.
The First World War: An Illustrated History by AJP Taylor is a must read for anyone with even a passing interest in the war’s centenary. What AJP Taylor’s remarkably clear and insightful analysis continues to tell us is that we, even now, should not be complacent. Perhaps it is now impossible to send millions of young men to certain death, needless slaughter by design. But a dispassionate assessment of contemporary conflict must conclude that today warfare is conducted largely against civilians who cannot fight back and, as apparently powerless observers, we continue to look on as conflicts continue to claim the lives of people who frankly don’t really care about which set of donkeys might lord it over them. A hundred years on, the donkeys clearly still have it - power, that is.
July 27, 2024
A condensed, vanilla overview of the first world war with some brief statements on its aftermath. Taylor does a commendable job of achieving objectivity, though at the expense of more meaningful value judgements of the war's principle characters and consequences. The reader should take into consideration that the book was published only 44 years after the end of the first world war (8 years after the second), preceding any hindsight afforded by the rapid gestation of world history across the 20th century.
August 29, 2024
کتاب فوقالعاده محترمی شد برام چون نگاه شاذ ه منحصر به فرد ی داره نسبت به تاریخ خیلی خیلی توصیه اش میکنم مخصوصا به کسانی که علاقمند به تاریخ اوایل قرن بیستم هستند
نمونه: مثلا جایی که اکثر مورخان از جمله بانو باربارا تاکمن در کتاب ارزشمند توپ های ماه اوت علت اصلی شروع جنگ جهانی اول را زیاده خواهی آلمان میدانند این استاد دانشگاه آلن جان پرسیوال تیلور معتقد است اتفاقا آلمان هم خواهان جنگ اصلا نبود چون در اوج رونق اقتصادی خود بود او علت اصلی جنگ را لاف و گزاف های دولت هایی میدانست که نمی توانستند حرف خود را پس بگیرند 😂😂
نمونه: مثلا جایی که اکثر مورخان از جمله بانو باربارا تاکمن در کتاب ارزشمند توپ های ماه اوت علت اصلی شروع جنگ جهانی اول را زیاده خواهی آلمان میدانند این استاد دانشگاه آلن جان پرسیوال تیلور معتقد است اتفاقا آلمان هم خواهان جنگ اصلا نبود چون در اوج رونق اقتصادی خود بود او علت اصلی جنگ را لاف و گزاف های دولت هایی میدانست که نمی توانستند حرف خود را پس بگیرند 😂😂
December 2, 2024
An excellent book. The quality of the writing is high and, importantly, Taylor explains the motives for major decisions by the individuals concerned, rather than just what happened. So often, it seems, such decisions were made to save face by the military leaders and politicians, or to gain power and influence, rather than for the greater good.
I thoroughly recommend this book to those wanting a readable yet comprehensive account of WW1.
I thoroughly recommend this book to those wanting a readable yet comprehensive account of WW1.
April 8, 2023
A solid started on WWI. The pictures and the moderate narrative/commentary of the war by Taylor join together as a serious analysis of this major and wasteful period of human history. I highly recommend this to anyone who wish a (for a lack of a better word) picturesque guide to the war. It does not, however, provide an in-depth answer to why the war started and how it ended.
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