The sleepwalkers (book review)

The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914
Christopher Clark
HarperCollins, 2014

A century ago Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austia and his wife during a visit of Sarajevo. A few weeks later war broke out. Earlier I wrote about the year 1913 and the First World War. Today, I'll review The Sleepwalkers by Christopher Clark.

In this book, Clark outlines the prelude of the Great War. He describes the situation in the European states, their mutual relations and their interests both in- and outside Europe.

First of all Serbia which was an agrarian country. In this kingdom, the government was interwoven with some nationalistic organisations. The level of education was relatively low.

Its neighbour, the dual monarchy Austria-Hungary had another structure. It had one Emperor (Franz Joseph) but two parliaments. The Austrians runned a flourishing civilized country. They were tolerant towards minorities. They created and maintained a good infrastructure and developed acquired parts of the empire like Bosnia-Herzegovina. Rural Hungary's parliament however neglected their minorities.

Germany was headed by Emperor Wilhelm II ("Willy") who was also King of Prussia. An unpredictable aristocrat who lost influence during the war. Prussia had a strong military tradition and Germany was developing steadily.

Russia was led by Tsar Nicholas II ("Nicky"). This agrarian country was recovering of the lost war against Japan. The government was seeking access to the warm water of the Mediterranen Sea. Note the family relations of the Heads of State of the United Kingdom, Germany and Russia.

Great Britain was in anti-German mood. It experiended troubles in Ulster. The author describes the balances of power in not only the British but also in the French and other governments. The French were struggling with the UK for influence in Egypt and with Germany about Marocco.

Each of the European Powers and Turkey had their interests in the Balcan peninsula. A mix of etnic, economic and religious issues. In each of the countries there were discussions between the civil and military authorities as well as about the military budgets. Nevertheless an arms race developed. Furthermore there were tensions between the press and the governments. The continent was divided in two alliances: Austia-Hungary, Germany and Italy versus Russia, France and the UK.

After the assissination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, a crisis originated. Austria-Hungary would punish the Serbians. Tensions increased as all of the states had their interests and allies. Due to a mix of masculinity and bungling of governments and diplomats, war broke out. We all know the results.

Clark describes the main characters, their in- and external relations and the affairs happened. Thereby he raises understanding of the affairs during the summer of 1914. I found The Sleepwalkers quite interesting to read. However, it is a huge book and there are many details in it. No easy stuff but very interesting.

Keep on reading!

The First World War (book review)

The First World War
John Keegan
Hutchinson Radius, 1998

As you may know, it's 100 years after the outbreak of World War I. Recently, I posted a book review of 1913. Today, we'll cover The First World War by John Keegan. This British military historian and lecturer, published many books about warfare during the last centuries. 

Sir Keegan starts his narrative months before the outbreak of the war. He describes the military establishment especially those in Prussia and Germany. They planned warfare by time tables. Remember scientific management was popular those days? The well known Von Schlieffen Plan was a result of this doctrine. By gaining a rather quick victory in the West, the war along the eastern front could also be won. 

The author also describes the political climate, alliances and diplomatic efforts being made after the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. A very complex process with a disastrous outcome. 

In the next chapters, the German invasion and march through Belgium and France is sketched including the Belgium defense, French counter offensives and the deployment of the British Expeditionary Force. As we now know, the western front stabilized. Keegan also describes the situation in Central Europe. 

Then he turns sight to the eastern front where the Von Hindenburg - Lindendorff duo combatted. He not only describes the battles itself but also the circumstances the soldiers faced. 

Near the end of the war, the Americans came in. The last chapters tell the story of breaking armies and the defeat of the Germans. 

I like the book (not the war!). Sir Keegan tells the occurences of this terrible war in a clear way. There's a good balance between the overall history and the details. He also sketches backgrounds and relations in this era.

For those interested: I published also a review of The Sleepwalkers.

PS: Next Sunday, the cycling classic Paris - Roubaix will be ridden. A course through Northern France or the former West Front. For those interested: I wrote about this event and it's history, on my cycling blog. 

Keep on reading!

1913 (book review)

1913: The Year Before the Storm

Florian Illies

S. Fischer, 2012

Altough I have read some books recently, I didn't post book reviews lately. But now I do! In 2014, it's 100 years after the outbreak of The Great War or World War I. As I lack in depth knowledge of this huge war, I decided to read some books about it. Well, the first isn't about the war itself, it's about the year before.

German journalist Florian Illies, gave his book 1913 the subtitle the year before the storm. He describes life and society in the big European cities like Vienna, Berlin, Munich and Paris. He does so systematically: each chapter is about one month. Many well known people are mentioned. Examples are Freud, Kafka and Picasso but also Hitler, Stalin and Tito. In every chapter, Illies mentions the hunt for the Mona Lisa which was stolen in 1911.

To be honest, I'm not that interested in the work or love life of artists. Nevertheless, I like this book. Illies manages to describe the way of thinking early in the 20th century. It was wide agreed, war was not an option those days. The monarchists were all family of each other. Moreover the economic merits were too high. How wrong were these people! The book is well written and easy to read.

For those interested in the war itself, I wrote a book review of The First Wold War and The Sleepwalkers.

Keep on reading!