The Lowdown: A Short History of the Origins of World War I

by John Lee, Steve Devereaux (Narrator)

A concise history of the origins of the "war to end all wars"
Many of us know that the first world war began when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo in June of 1914. But have you ever wondered exactly what chain of events led up to the incident that caused the whole world to erupt into one of the bloodiest conflicts in our history?
Why, amidst all the tensions in early twentieth century Europe, did this particular incident in Sarajevo lead to Austria delivering an unacceptable ultimatum to Serbia, which would lead to Russia mobilising in support of Serbia, Germany in support of Austria, and then France and Britain in support of Russia?
Expert military historian and lecturer John Lee explains the causes behind the origins of the war and gives us a unique insight into the unfolding drama that defined and shaped a generation - and generations to come.
This book gives an insight into:
- The struggle to maintain the 'balance of power' in a Europe convulsed with change
- The crippling cost of the arms race to preserve 'peace through strength'
- The constant stream of crises as two ancient empires were about to unravel
- The brash 'new kid on the block' who decided that the old order had to go, and was just waiting for the right 'excuse'.

Genres: History

Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There are multiple authors in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Lee*, Mystery & Thrillers, Journalist
John Lee, 1850-1922
John Lee, Fiction, wrote "Unicorn Saga"
John Lee, b.1946, History
John Lee, British actor, voice actor, professional narrator, and playwright
John Lee, Allergist
John Lee, Travel writer
John Lee, "the Wealth Dragon", Entrepreneur and property investor
John Lee, Gay Love & Erotica
John Lee*, Fantasy
John Lee*, author and illustrator, "Joy Sun Bear"
John Lee, 1779-1859
John Lee, "the Dealionaire", real estate investor
John Lee, Baron, British MP
John Lee, wrote "MonsterFungus" series
John Lee, petroleum engineering
John Lee, English, early modern studies
John Lee, economics, South East Asia

An asterisk (*) indicates that this is a Goodreads Author

Reviews

[Kerstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was always curious about this part of recent European history, especially as my history teachers in school seemed to have skipped it entirely. This audio book did exactly what it said on the cover. A concise, easy to understand overview of the dymanics that lead to the outbreak of World War One. I can only recommend it!

[Mike Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet, this work gives you an easy-to-read foundation in understanding the events leading up to the start of World War I.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems slightly skewed against the Germans, but maybe it should be?