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Books > History > World history > From 1900 > First World War
World War I was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from
1914 to 1918. Contemporaneously known as the Great War or "the war
to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70
million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making
it one of the largest wars in history. This series of Eight volumes
provides year by year analysis of the war that resulted in the
death of more than 17 million deaths worldwide.
This book examines the particular experience of ethnic, religious
and national minorities who participated in the First World War as
members of the main belligerent powers: Britain, France, Germany
and Russia. Individual chapters explore themes including contested
loyalties, internment, refugees, racial violence, genocide and
disputed memories from 1914 through into the interwar years to
explore how minorities made the transition from war to peace at the
end of the First World War. The first section discusses so-called
'friendly minorities', considering the way in which Jews, Muslims
and refugees lived through the war and its aftermath. Section two
looks at fears of 'enemy aliens', which prompted not only
widespread internment, but also violence and genocide. The third
section considers how the wartime experience of minorities played
out in interwar Europe, exploring debates over political
representation and remembrance. Bridging the gap between war and
peace, this is the ideal book for all those interested in both
First World War and minority histories.
Two accounts of the Australian Army at war
During the Great War all of Britain's colonies and dominions
rallied to the appeal of the motherland to fight the common enemy.
None responded more positively than Australia. Leonaur has gathered
together two accounts into this single volume for students and
enthusiasts of the period to enjoy. The Australian experience of
war is finely captured in them both. The first, written by a scout,
takes the reader through recruitment, training, embarkation and a
period in Egypt before gruelling combat on the Gallipoli peninsula
and the bloody trenches of the Western Front. The second account is
filled with vignettes of the Australian experience of war in
Europe. This is another 'two for the price of one' volume by
Leonaur available in softcover or hardback with dust jacket for
collectors.
The postcards in It'll All Be Over By Christmas paint a picture of
the First World War as experienced by those at home, at the front,
in training, in hospital and in convalescence. These personal
messages were sent from fathers to their wives and children, sons
to family, friends and loved ones - sharing their thoughts, hopes
and worries as well as the lighter side of life. There are cards
from those at sea, in prisoner-of-war camps and those of the
Central Powers. Featuring over 150 illustrations, including some
rare examples, the book also demonstrates how the postcard was
ulitised to enlist volunteers and boost morale through humour,
sentimentality and propaganda. Postcards encouraged support of the
war effort through fundraising, sending 'comforts' to those on the
front line and promoting practical roles for women. This
fascinating book offers a profound insight into the experiences of
war through postcards, as well the part that they played in
promoting it.
The history of Jerusalem as traditionally depicted is the
quintessential history of conflict and strife, of ethnic tension,
and of incompatible national narratives and visions. It is also a
history of dramatic changes and moments, one of the most radical
ones being the replacement of the Ottoman regime with British rule
in December 1917. From Empire to Empire challenges these two major
dichotomies, ethnic and temporal, which shaped the history of
Jerusalem and its inhabitants. It links the experiences of two
ethnic communities living in Palestine, Jews and Arabs, as well as
bridging two historical periods, the Ottoman and British
administrations. Drawing upon a variety of sources, Jacobson
demonstrates how political and social alliances are dynamic,
context-dependent, and purpose-driven. She also highlights the
critical role of foreign intervention, governmental and
nongovernmental, in forming local political alliances and in
shaping the political reality of Palestine during the crisis of
World War I and the transition between regimes. From Empire to
Empire offers a vital new perspective on the way World War I has
been traditionally studied in the Palestinian context. It also
examines the effects of war on the socioeconomic sphere of a mixed
city in crisis and looks into the ways the war, as well as Ottoman
policies and administrators, affected the ways people perceived the
Ottoman Empire and their location within it. From Empire to Empire
illuminates the complex and delicate relations between ethnic and
national groups and offers a different lens through which the
history of Jerusalem can be seen: it proposes not only a story of
conflict but also of intercommunal contacts and cooperation.
This volume represents a comprehensive analysis, by the best known
experts in the field on both sides of the Atlantic, of how and why
Germany and the United States found themselves at war against each
other in 1917 and how the end of their confrontation in 1918/19
paved the way for an era of renewed cooperation. Perspectives
offered go well beyond the diplomatic and military aspects of the
German-American relationship and include cultural and economic
questions.
Germany and the United States of America: The Krefeld Historical
Symposia
Why did the Ottoman Empire enter the First World War in late
October 1914, months after the war's devastations had become clear?
Were its leaders 'simple-minded, ' 'below-average' individuals, as
the doyen of Turkish diplomatic history has argued? Or, as others
have claimed, did the Ottomans enter the war because War Minister
Enver Pasha, dictating Ottoman decisions, was in thrall to the
Germans and to his own expansionist dreams? Based on previously
untapped Ottoman and European sources, Mustafa Aksakal's dramatic
study challenges this consensus. It demonstrates that
responsibility went far beyond Enver, that the road to war was
paved by the demands of a politically interested public, and that
the Ottoman leadership sought the German alliance as the only way
out of a web of international threats and domestic insecurities,
opting for an escape whose catastrophic consequences for the empire
and seismic impact on the Middle East are felt even today.
The past is brought to life in this historical epic about a South
African family whose lives collided with the biggest event in
history: The First World War. The central theme is the largely
forgotten east Africa campaign, but by definition a world war has a
wide reach. Five members of one family with deep roots in all four
corners of the country, served in three different theatres of war.
Their lives on active service are all interwoven and inseparable
from the home front. Global events are juxtaposed with everyday
life on a farm in the eastern Orange Free State. Appropriately, the
author constructs linkages that span generations, uncovering
individual experiences of an earlier conflict which had engulfed
South Africa barely a decade before the eruption of the 1914-18
war. As the sons of early pioneers, this generation witnessed
history in the making before writing their own. Riding into action
on horseback or in a flying machine, their paths led from the south
west African desert, through disease-infested jungles in east
Africa to some of the great battles on the western front. Only one
of the five came home unscathed although he crash-landed his
aircraft behind enemy lines and only made it back through his
audacity and brute strength. Another, an intellectual priest, was
left for dead at Delville Wood, and his brother was wounded on
Messines Ridge. The remaining two suffered from debilitating
tropical illnesses. Hazard and hardship lingered on in the form of
Spanish in influenza, mining strikes and the Great Depression. The
war cast a long shadow. Between them, these consciously literate
men left substantial documentary legacies. Using extracts of their
letters from the front, the story is to a large extent told in the
words of those who were there. Context is provided by referencing
existing literature, unpublished memoirs and archival material. It
could be called a military history or a social history, but it is a
truly South African story which contains much new material for
historians, while for the general reader it offers an accessible
insight into an unparalleled period of history.
Anzac Labour explores the horror, frustration and exhaustion
surrounding working life in the Australian Imperial Force during
the First World War. Based on letters and diaries of Australian
soldiers, it traces the history of work and workplace cultures
through Australia, the shores of Gallipoli, the fields of France
and Belgium, and the Near East.
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Hell On Earth
(Hardcover)
Avigdor Hameiri; Translated by Peter C. Appelbaum; Introduction by Avner Holtzman
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R2,079
Discovery Miles 20 790
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A literary account of the author's experience in World War I. Hell
on Earth is the second book written by Avigdor Hameiri (born
Feuerstein, 1890-1970) about his experiences as a Russian prisoner
of war during the second half of World War I. Translator Peter C.
Appelbaum first became interested in Hameiri's story after learning
that one quarter of the Austro-Hungarian army was captured and
imprisoned, and that the horrific events that took place at this
time throughout Russia and central Asia are rarely discussed in
scholarly texts. Available for the first time to an
English-speaking audience, this reality-driven novel is comparable
to classics like All Quiet on the Western Front and The Gulag
Archipelago. The text is deeply tragic, while allowing some humor
to shine through in the darkest hour. The reader is introduced to a
procession of complex characters with whom Hamieri comes into
contact during his imprisonment. The narrator watches his friends
die one by one until he is released in 1917 with the help of
Russian Zionist colleagues. He then immigrates to Israel in 1921.
Hameiri's perspective on the things surrounding him-the
Austro-Hungarian Army, the Russian people and countryside, the
geography of Siberia, the nascent Zionist movement, the Russian
Revolution and its immediate aftermath-offers a distinct personal
view of a moment in time that is often overshadowed by the horrors
of the Holocaust. In his preface, Appelbaum argues that World War I
was the original sin of the twentieth century-without it, the
unthinkable acts of World War II would not have come to fruition.
Hell on Earth is a fascinating, albeit gruesome, account of life in
prison camps at the end of the First World War. Fans of historical
fiction and war memoirs will appreciate the historic value in this
piece of literature.
This extended study of one of the critical campaigns of World War I
sheds light on vital strategic consequences for both sides.
Published during the centennial of the events it considers, this
book provides a comprehensive examination of one of the most
interesting and influential campaigns of World War I, a campaign
that was the apex of mobile warfare at the time. By the late summer
of 1915, the Russian threat to Austria-Hungary had been eliminated
by the Central Powers. That allowed Erich von Falkenhayn, head of
the German supreme command, to turn his attention to his next
strategic target-the conquest of Serbia-which was imperative to
opening a land route to the Ottoman Empire. Until that task was
accomplished, matters on the all-important Western Front would have
to wait. This first major study of the invasion of Serbia covers
events primarily from the viewpoint of the Central Powers, which
played the most pivotal role in the campaign. The book considers
the impact of factors as diverse as diplomacy, command, coalition
warfare, mountain warfare, military technology, and the harsh
environment in which the campaign was conducted. Readers will come
away with an understanding of and appreciation for the importance
of the Serbian campaign as it affected the outcome of the war and
the ultimate destruction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Examines
the campaign from the perspective of the Central Powers, rather
than from the Serbian point of view Shows that the assault on
Serbia was pivotal in that it led to the unraveling of the overall
conflict for Germany Features research conducted at the German
federal military archives in Freiburg, the Bavarian military
archives in Munich, the Austrian archives in Vienna, and the
Baden-Wurttemberg archives in Stuttgart Draws from official
histories, regimental histories, memoirs, and first-person accounts
Marks the 100th anniversary of the 1915 campaign
Machine Gunners in the desert
The development of the rapidly firing machine gun had been
gathering pace throughout the latter part of the nineteenth
century. By the time of the Great War it had reached a point of
deadly and devastating efficiency. Now, specially trained units of
men within all armies were trained to bring this lethal weapon to
bear on the enemy. This book concerns a group of such men-within
the British Army-as it and they fought the Army of the Ottoman
Turkish empire in the Middle East Campaign. This was a more mobile
war than the gunners of the Western Front experienced, that had its
own challenges including disease, blistering heat, flies and
difficult terrain. This is an intimate story of a small tightly
knit unit operating in an interesting sideshow of the greater
conflict.
Accounts of the 'Knights of the Sky' in the Great War
For those interested in the most outstanding airmen of the Great
War, this book will a highly satisfying read. The author has
chronicled the aces of the allied forces and has enhanced his
narrative with riveting accounts and first hand experiences and
reports of the 'High Aces' in action. Within these pages the reader
will discover the exploits of the Lafayette Escadrille, Roland
Garros-possibly the first Ace, Guynemer, Lufbery, Fonck, Pinsard
and many others of varied nationalities. The valiant flyers of the
bomber force are also covered as is the contribution made by
American pilots. The appendix includes a list of the Aces of all
nations with their 'kills' and much other vital information.
Available in soft cover and hard cover with dust jacket. A must for
every one interested in the dogfights over the trenches.
This transnational, interdisciplinary study of traumatic neurosis
moves beyond the existing histories of medical theory, welfare, and
symptomatology. The essays explore the personal traumas of soldiers
and civilians in the wake of the First World War; they also discuss
how memory and representations of trauma are transmitted between
patients, doctors and families across generations. The book argues
that so far the traumatic effects of the war have been
substantially underestimated. Trauma was shaped by gender,
politics, and personality. To uncover the varied forms of trauma
ignored by medical and political authorities, this volume draws on
diverse sources, such as family archives and narratives by children
of traumatized men, documents from film and photography, memoirs by
soldiers and civilians. This innovative study challenges us to
re-examine our approach to the complex psychological effects of the
First World War.
World War I was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from
1914 to 1918. Contemporaneously known as the Great War or "the war
to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70
million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making
it one of the largest wars in history. This series of Eight volumes
provides year by year analysis of the war that resulted in the
death of more than 17 million deaths worldwide.
The Impact of the First World War on U.S. Policymakers: American
Strategic and Foreign Policy Formulation, 1938 1942 is designed to
recount the formulation of foreign and defense policies through an
examination of the background of the policymakers, with specific
emphasis on the World War I experience. The introduction provides
an analysis of the literature of the history of this American World
War II policy formulation. The events and factors that led to the
reorientation of priorities in 1938-1939 are examined. From that
base, Michael Carew reviews the unfolding events of the European
and Japanese degeneration into war through the spring of 1940, and
their perception for the American policy-makers. He also recounts
the tectonic shifts of the subsequent eighteen months and the
scramble for an American response. The immediate consequences of
Pearl Harbor brought the policymaking to a crisis, and the
Casablanca conference of January 1943 signified the completion of
the formulation of American foreign policy and naval-military
strategy. Carew emphasizes the leadership of President Roosevelt
and his cadre of planners in the policy formulation realm, the
assertion of leadership of the alliance, and Roosevelt's specific
tasks in managing the American war effort. These presidential tasks
included the industrial mobilization of the American economy, the
domestic political leadership of the war, the persuasion of the
alliance to the propriety of American policy, and the defeat of the
Axis."
How can we understand what caused World War I? What role did
Germany play? This book encourages us to re-think the events that
led to global conflict in 1914.Historians in recent years have
argued that German leaders acted defensively or pre-emptively in
1914, conscious of the Reich's deteriorating military and
diplomatic position. Germany and the Causes of the First World War
challenges such interpretations, placing new emphasis on the idea
that the Reich Chancellor, the German Foreign Office and the Great
General Staff were confident that they could win a continental war.
This belief in Germany's superiority derived primarily from an
assumption of French decline and Russian weakness throughout the
period between the turn of the century and the eve of the First
World War. Accordingly, Wilhelmine policy-makers pursued offensive
policies - at the risk of war at important junctures during the
1900s and 1910s.The author analyses the stereotyping of enemy
states, representations of war in peacetime, and conceptualizations
of international relations. He uncovers the complex role of ruling
elites, political parties, big business and the press, and contends
that the decade before the First World War witnessed some critical
changes in German foreign policy. By the time of the July crisis of
1914, for example, the perception of enemies had altered, with
Russia - the traditional bugbear of the German centre and left -
becoming the principal opponent of the Reich. Under these changed
conditions, German leaders could now pursue their strategy of
brinkmanship, using war as an instrument of policy, to its logical
conclusion.
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