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World War I: A History from Beginning to End

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World War I, or the Great War, was believed to be "the war to end all wars." Because of the incredible extent of destruction and the staggering number of wounded and dead, even those who lived through it could scarcely comprehend its horror.

Beginning in 1914, alliances between powerful nations soon plunged the world into a global conflict. Fighting-including miserable trench warfare-broke out in practically every corner of Europe and spread around the world to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Inside you will read about... - The Causes of World War I - The War in Europe: The Western Front - The War in the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire - The United States - Russia and the War in Eastern Europe - The Impact of World War I And much more! Even the peace treaty in 1919, which occurred during a deadly worldwide influenza pandemic, brought no relief; another world war, intricately connected to the first, would break out in only two short decades.

50 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2017

332 people are currently reading
252 people want to read

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Hourly History

696 books860 followers
At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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5 stars
196 (42%)
4 stars
166 (36%)
3 stars
85 (18%)
2 stars
10 (2%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Claire Turner.
27 reviews5 followers
May 8, 2022
This is also well-worth the time and the wine.
Confine hubby to the kitchen with orders to make supper and curl up on the sofa: bliss.
I get so much enjoyment from these hourly-history books. Four years of world history within fifty-pages and so clearly laid out; and it picks up on events that I doubt are mentioned by most when discussing 'The Great War'. I'd no idea we were fighting the Ottomans in Mesopotamia: Kut, located south of Baghdad.
Again, I would recommend this.
Profile Image for Thom Swennes.
1,822 reviews57 followers
December 18, 2017
“A domino effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events.[1] The term is best known as a mechanical effect and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes. It typically refers to a linked sequence of events where the time between successive events is relatively small. It can be used literally (an observed series of actual collisions) or metaphorically (causal linkages within systems such as global finance or politics). The term domino effect is used both to imply that an event is inevitable or highly likely (it's already started to happen), and conversely to imply that an event is impossible or highly unlikely (the one domino left standing).”
Definition according to Wikipedia
World War I is a prime example of the domino effect at its very worst. When the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie are assassinated in a motorcade on the streets of Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, a political vacuum is created, sucking most of Europe into war within a couple of months. This isn’t the first time this had happened, but the resulting conflict could never have been imagined.
The Great War (or the War to End All Wars) as it is often referred to, is a grossly ambiguous moniker to a true world tragedy. There is, and has never been, a good (much less great) war and, as the history books will affirm, war is, and has always been, part of human civilization and the thought that these events would magically end is ludicrous.
Advancements in weaponry (aircraft, tanks, and machine guns) and the introduction of chemical warfare make this war unique in many ways. These differences, force opposing armies to change traditional tactics and forcing them to dig defensive trenches; eventually resulting in a near or total stalemate on the battlefields. Although skirmishes and battles were fought outside of the European theater, the main war was on the fields of Belgium and France.
At the beginning of the war, European royal houses were all related by blood. This may have added to the ultimate number of causalities. The war’s end also marked a change in many of the participating countries. Royal houses that had once ruled throughout Europe were toppled, paving the way for a new world.
It is impossible to condense a war lasting four long years into a book counting a mere fifty pages. This summary does outline the causes and progression of the war and serves as a base for further research.

Profile Image for Walter.
46 reviews1 follower
August 11, 2021
A Treatise on WW1

This short book is an excellent short documentary on the First World War. It helps to determine and understand the world conditions and country and area tensions that were present at the beginning of the war. Of course the one event that history points to that actually started the conflict was the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand during his visit to Serbia.

This is either a good primary or refresher depending on your level of knowledge of the events of WW1.

WLM of SC
Profile Image for Ritam Debnath.
62 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2022
A short overview of World War I. It's not for the one who is looking for a detailed account of the whole phenomenon, starting from the backdrop up to the aftermath. However, this book mentions the events chronologically which led to WWI and how the ruptures left by it could only inflame another, even more lethal, carnage. It also discusses the invaluable part Indians played in this war. Recommended if you want to know about these darkest hours of world history but don't want to get your hands on a fat history book.
1,232 reviews11 followers
August 7, 2022
In a nutshell

To fully understand what caused World War I would take some reading, but this book manages to do a good job in a few pages. There are no chapters filled with the exploits of heroes just a clear telling of what happened. Now some might see this as a over simplification of the facts and it may well be, but it does give a person a starting point for a more in depth look .
Profile Image for Murray.
Author 149 books748 followers
December 12, 2022
WW1 and WW2 were one long war

The argument is made that the demands forced upon Germany after its defeat in 1918 were so punishing it made it far easier for Hitler to seize control in the 1930s because the German people remained defiant and angry towards the Allied nations.

This concise essay provides a detailed overview of how the war began, many of the major battles that were fought, and what factors finally brought the US into the conflict.

This war never really has gone away.
6 reviews
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January 20, 2023
PREJUDICE FOR THE UNITED STATES

We all know that since the birth of th United States, they United States has been waging wars or using proxies to fight wars. The US Government has NEVER be en interested in anyrhing to end all wars. Without wars, she cannot conduct her arms selling business. Look at how USA is surrounding China with military bases and yet claimed China to be an agitator.
Profile Image for Jean.
829 reviews26 followers
December 8, 2018
A Nightmare to end all nightmares!

This book is a quick overview - how could one possibly get such an event in an hour long book? It does however, give one an idea of the vastness of the war, the cost in human beings and an idea of how WW2 came to be. It will whet your appetite to better understand this era of the 20th century.
1 review
April 20, 2019
Good summary of how one event can leak on to cascading events of catastrophic proportion.

It is easy to read and not difficult to understand how the world war I came about. How a single event can lead to multiple countries declaring wars on one another, leading to world war causing deaths to millions of people.
Profile Image for Anil Swarup.
Author 3 books721 followers
November 29, 2021
Tracing the background of the The Great War, the book delves into some of the critical battles during the war. Till the last few months it appeared that the Triple Alliance, led by Germany had the upper hand despite the the third arm of the Alliance, Italy having left the Alliance. It was the American entry into the War that changed the fortunes.
Profile Image for New Beginnings.
62 reviews
April 27, 2025
Good read

This boom provides a very good overview of WW1. It looks at the lead up to the war, the major events of the war and the conclusion. As always this is not meant to be an in-depth review but a high level overview. It does a god jog at helping the reader underway the complexity of the war and the countries involved. Worth the read.
Profile Image for Molly.
689 reviews
January 18, 2018
I'm so sorry to have given it a three star rating, however, I was completely lost while I was reading it. Trying to follow who was fighting whom and who had what alliance with whom and who declared war on whom was absolutely confusing. I'm not sure if I would recommend this. Sorry.
4 reviews
November 2, 2018
Good Overview

This is a good introduction to the history of the first world war and it's aftermath. It is a good starting point for anyone who is interested in exploring the subject in more depth.
51 reviews2 followers
August 26, 2019
As much as I usually love Hourly History books, this one didn't keep my attention as much. I feel that World War I is far too large a subject to cover in one hour, and the authors may have been better trying to cover certain aspects in books of their own.
Profile Image for Gian Andrea.
Author 6 books34 followers
December 18, 2019
Better than some other books in the series that I've read, yet still a very concise and rushed read about the most important events from the Great War, undoubtedly a crucial moment in the world's history.
Good if you're on a bus or in need to kill half an hour waiting for the doctor appointment.
Profile Image for Rubin Carpenter.
686 reviews
May 14, 2021
A short but not sweet introduction to
World War 1

This book is uneven it has an assembly of facts but the presentation is a bit like A First year college Student paper with underlining opinions of events.
Not that great of a read
17 reviews
January 14, 2023
A brief primer

A short overview, but helped me to understand the fragmented nature of the war - really a collection individual countries in conflict with individual foes. I read as context for the Eric Maria Remarque novels I’ve been reading.
1 review
April 9, 2023
quick, clear and concise

Quick read that explains the tensions that lead to WW1. A lot of information in a short format that helped me understand the different perspectives of countries.
Profile Image for HJ.
53 reviews
November 17, 2018
A good short account for starters who want to explore in depth about WW I later.
1 review
March 27, 2019
War to end all wars

Enjoyable read told the story of World war one in great detail, learned about the start and end and cause
30 reviews
December 31, 2019
Very nice book. The narration is great and the author is making it really short and interesting. He gives an overview with all the main pieces of information the reader is interested in.
Profile Image for Christopher Rodriguez.
1 review
March 11, 2020
Book was educational and interesting

I like the facts and information and I have learned a lot while reading.
The reading was important and fun

25 reviews1 follower
July 30, 2020
ENOYABLE READ

Interesting read, well written in such a good way to enhance your history appetite. It leaves you with the desire to persue other books and read on.
13 reviews2 followers
January 25, 2021
A good summary of ww1 . The main events mentioned without explicit details , which is not a bad thing. Very enjoyable to read.
4 reviews
October 27, 2021
concise history

Gave points of view on a war that is shrouded in the shadows of Hitler. The description of foreign empires involved was somewhat new
Profile Image for Manu Datta.
98 reviews3 followers
November 6, 2021
A succinct history of WWI. Useful reading.

A timeline at the end and few maps could have added massive value.
Profile Image for Dave.
77 reviews8 followers
May 3, 2022
excellent

World War 1: A History From Beginning to End was excellent. It had just the right amount of information to whet one’s appetite to want to continue on with learning more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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