Summary: The Great War

The book “The Face of Battle: a study of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme” authored by John Keegan is a non-fiction resource dedicated to enlightening the reader concerning the history of the military with the emphasis being between the 1960s and 1970s. Keegan provides a more detailed and accurate representation of combat in three fundamental battles in British history, and these include Agincourt, Waterloo, and Somme. In addition, the author attempts to explore the life of a common soldier, which according to him, is shaped by blood, anguish, and gripping fear.

The Great War , or as it is known now, World War One was a global conflict fought between the Allied Powers ; Great Britain, France, Russia, and the United States along will other smaller nations and the Central Powers ; Germany, Austria – Hungary, Turkey/Ottoman Empire and other small nations from 1914 to 1918. World War One began from a series of tumultuous events, that in turn affected the balance of alliances that had been made between countries at that time in the world.

In 1975 the Oxford University Press published the first edition of The Great War and Modern Memory written by Paul Fussell. As Fussell states in the opening line, “this book is about the British experience on the Western Front from 1914 to 1918.” In this paper I will argue, that despite the numerous literary awards this book has won, it contains historical inaccuracies and shortcomings in relation to the accurate information provided that takes away from the prestige of the book. Despite the numerous negative aspects of the book, this paper will also briefly highlight the few positive areas of the book, therefore providing an in-depth analysis of the book.

Barbara Tuchman's Pulitzer prize-winning book about the start of World War I is a fascinating and detailed work that delivers the thoughts and actions of the belligerents and their previously mysterious leaders to life on every page. This military history of the first month of the war is written in a way as to keep the reader interested because of the great detail. The author also manages to write about the events in such a manor as the reader sees them as they happened. Despite any previous knowledge about the historical events of the war, the book manages to keep you wondering if the Germans will succeed in its aims.

The author, Peter Hart, is a British military historian. He attended Liverpool University, Crewe & Alsager College, and Liverpool Polytechnic. He is an oral historian and currently directs the Imperial War Museum in London. He writes primarily about World War I and has authored eight books about this period of war.

This book was situated in World War I, where numerous nations were put in an undesirable position, the European nations all felt that it would be a short war and numerous individuals enlisted, yet ended up being one of the bloodiest wars ever. Serbia and Austria-Hungary began the war, they did not get included in the war, and they let their Allies battle for them. The Allied forces: Great Britain, France, and the U.S. crushed Germany. They made a bargain: The Treaty of Versailles, which greatly reprimanded Germany. The bargain left Germany with scorn in their souls, which prompted World War II. In All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque

World War I differed from previous wars in the essence that technological sophistication of weaponry such as artillery, poison gas and machine-guns created a vehement war with a massive number of casualties. In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, German World War I veteran Erich Maria Remarque delineates the experiences that German soldiers face on the restless front, and the toll that the physical conditions and the mental stress take on the deterioration of the youth of each soldier battling on the terrain. Remarque’s war novel strays away from the romantic and glorifying thought of war in order to emphasize the hardships war forced upon the men who fought for their country. The weapons that are in the hands of the men on the front lines become their livelihood, and the terrain of the battle are the only things separating a common man and a man marked by the scars of war. At some point, war no longer becomes a fight between enemies from two different countries, it becomes a battle between one’s self and the urge to resist barbaric and animalistic acts when in dire situations.

The events portrayed within this book serve to help the readers visualize and comprehend the horrendous and dreadful experiences that the war had generated in the lives of those living in the 20th century during the hardships of the endless,brutal, and frightening conflict between the countries of the world. The lethality of the shellings, biological warfare, and machine guns added with the staggering of the unprogressive trench warfare was the cause of a long-lasting war that proved detrimental to both of the opposing sides, the Triple Entente, composing of Russia, France, and the United Kingdom, and the Triple Alliance, composing of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. This war story deeply conveys a sense of what war truly is. Through its erratic moments of constant shellings and the adrenaline-pumping sluggishness of trench warfare, the true essence of the commonly known “great war” has revealed itself in a sorrowful yet realistic light, devoid of idealness. This book reveals an account of how a generation was lost during the war, creating a tense and downbeat tone repetitively utilized throughout the book,

The stalemate of World War I’s Western Front resulted from a situation where leaders experienced and educated in 19th Century tactics and strategy could not reconcile this “predisposition” with the changes to war brought on by technological advances and not due to a mindless adherence to time-honored theories of military thinkers such as Clausewitz. The irony is that the tactical and strategic impasse aside, the various elements of World War I such as economy, political, and nationalism more closely reflected Clausewitz’s supposition of war (“clash of interests”) than the pre-war operational plans penned the generals.

The way battle were fought over the past centuries have changed, from rocks and fists to tanks and gasses. Battles are caused by many things, back in time they would be caused for the want of a strip of land to even something as simple as one country not paying back what they own/promise such as their alliances. Battles need tactics and intense planning, which could be needed in order to attack opponents. During World War I, there were many surprises and especially many casualties. The main event would be perceived as The Battle of Ypres; more specifically being The Second Battle of Ypres. The Second Battle of Ypres had many introductions to battle changing how war is fought to this day. This paper will trace the course of the Second Battle of Ypres; from its background, events that occurred during the war, and the outcome.

An American Soldier in World War I, edited by David L. Snead is a collection of letters written by a World War I soldier, George Browne, to his girlfriend, Martha. Professor David L. Snead was given these letters by one of his students in the 1990s . In this book, Professor Snead wanted to focus on the life of a Soldier in World War I and George’s letter describing the events first hand is a great way to help readers understand the hardships. The thesis here in this book gives a solid but brief description of what this book is about, “Browne’s letters offer a view of the experiences of an American Soldier, and He describes the difficulties of training, transit to and within France, the dangers and excitement of combat, and the war’s impact on relationships.” He also gives the personnel strain the war had on their relationship.

It is 1918 and women have recently been struggling with being treated unfairly because of the war. But, as the Great War is now taking place women are actually getting their rights and freedoms. Since the men have had to go to work and even some have been drafted and made to go work the women are now taking over their jobs to keep the economy running. The women are excited and glad they can finally work so they can prove they can do anything men can do though. They are having to work in factories mostly that are extremely dangerous and filthy. But they are willing to do whatever that needs to happen.

Historical writings have evolved from procedural accounts of events to inquisitive reflections on combatants. Focusing on weapons, strategies and generals’ perspectives the procedural approach quickly provides in-depth information, but often in a distorted way 1. It is important to remember a commander’s actions and the events of their battles are often exaggerated to support current political goals . Alternately, a slightly more encompassing approach to warfare considers the conflict’s decisiveness in addition to the battle’s statistics and facts 1. That is to say, what influence did the battle have on future events and how were people’s lives changed by it. Beyond these procedural approaches, modern historians now use a more inquisitive method that combines personal experiences and facts. This more inclusive method allows

Luke DiMarco Friday, November 14, 14 500440473 (Ryerson University) Prepared for Professor Tomaz Jardim HST 702 The First World War

These officers claimed that the German’s would subjugate France to a similar punishment that Russia received in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The soldiers concurred with their officers and agreed to return to the front lines (Smith 190). The French High Command, however, did not value the treatment of enlisted men as equals and order the executions of a number of the mutineers. The French Command, also, decided that the prudent decision to stop impending mutinies would be the ending of “on any new large-scale offensive” (Smith 195). With the comprehension that moral could collapse further the Allies turned to a handful of new tactics to minimize the number of deaths that occurred.