Ring Of Steel

An award winning historian presents a groundbreaking new history of World War I from the perspective of the Central Powers, showing how wartime suffering led not only to the fall of an empire but also to a fundamental breakdown of society.For Germany and Austria Hungary the First World War started with high hopes for a rapid, decisive outcome Convinced that right was on their side and fearful of the enemies that encircled them, they threw themselves resolutely into battle Yet, despite the initial halting of a brutal Russian invasion, the Central Powers war plans soon unravelled Germany s attack on France failed Austria Hungary s armies suffered catastrophic losses at Russian and Serbian hands Hopes of a quick victory lay in ruins.For the Central Powers the war now became a siege on a monstrous scale Britain s ruthless intervention cut sea routes to central Europe and mobilised the world against them Germany and Austria Hungary were to be strangled of war supplies and food, their soldiers overwhelmed by better armed enemies, and their civilians brought to the brink of starvation Conquest and plunder, land offensives, and submarine warfare all proved powerless to counter or break the blockade The Central Powers were trapped in the Allies ever tightening ring of steel Alexander Watson s compelling new history retells the war from the perspectives of its instigators and losers, the Germans and Austro Hungarians This is the story not just of their leaders in Berlin and Vienna, but above all of the people Only through their unprecedented mobilisation could the conflict last so long and be so bitterly fought, and only with the waning of their commitment did it end The war shattered their societies, destroyed their states and bequeathed to east central Europe a poisonous legacy of unredeemed sacrifice, suffering, race hatred and violence A major re evaluation of the First World War, Ring of Steel is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the last century of European history. New Read [ Ring Of Steel ] By [ Alexander Watson ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr If you ve run across any of my other reviews of World War I related books, you will know that I have spent approximately the last three and a half years trying to learn everything I can about the Great War I can pinpoint the date because this was a conscious decision I made when I learned that my wife with pregnant with our first kid I thought to myself, Self, you re about to lose a bunch of your free time You better choose one thing besides wine as a hobby, and go with it I chose WWI If you ve run across any...We began the war, not the Germans and still less the Entente I know that Baron Leopold von Andrian Westberg Ring of Steel Germany and Austria Hungary in World War I by Alexander Watson is the history of World War I from a German and Austrian setting Watson holds a PhD from Oxford University He lectures on the social, economic, military and political history of the First World War, the Second World War, and the Habsburg Empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries He c We began the war, not the Germans and still less the Entente I know that Baron Leopold von Andrian Westberg Ring of Steel Germany and Austria Hungary in World War I by Alexander Watson is the history of World War I from a German and Austrian setting Watson holds a PhD from Oxford University He lectures on the social, economic, military and political history of the First World War, the Second World War, and the Habsburg Em...I thought this would be a slog at 800 pages, but found it a surprisingly readable and a thought provoking book.Ring of Steel tells the story of World War 1 from the other side of the hill and claims to be the first modern history from this viewpoint.Being a World War 2 devotee this book really opened my eyes to the German Austro Hungarian viewpoint and decision making in World War 1 It really is a fascinating read telling the story of how Germany and Austria Hungary initially mobilised the s I thought this would be a slog at 800 pages, but found it a surprisingly readable and a thought provoking book.Ring of Steel tells the story of World War 1 from the other side of the hill and claims to be the first modern history from this viewpoint.Being a World War 2 devotee this book really opened my eyes to the German Austro Hungarian viewpoint and decision making in World War 1 It really is a fascinating read telling the story of how Germany and Austria Hungary initially mobilised the support of their populations to but as mi...Inside this giant of a tome is an average sized book crying to be freed I m fond of saying nobody cares about World War I That s because it s true Only strange people like me would first learn about the war at ten years old from a book in the school library It all began with an assassination in Sarajevo Hey, that sounds exotic Exciting I m in Now let s learn about propaganda and trench warfare and poison gas and the Red Baron Awesome stuff for bookworm boys.Little did I know I d end up l Inside this giant of a tome is an average sized book crying to be freed I m fond of saying nobody cares about World War I That s because it s true Only strange people like me would first learn about the war at ten years old from a book in the school library It all began with an assassination in Sarajevo Hey, that sounds exotic Exciting I m in Now let s learn about propaganda and trench warfare and poison gas and the Red Baron Awesome stuff for bookworm boys.Little did I know I d end up living in the city where the war officially began, Belgrade Last year, a friend of mine visited and I took him to the place where the mighty Danube meets the equally excellent Sava Right there, I pointed across the confluence On that side of the river was the Austro Hunga...This is an outstanding work It speaks of Germany and Austria Hungary as surrounded by a ring of steel in World War I Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, later the United States, and some smaller countries They were outnumbered.This story is told from the perspective of Germany and Austria Hungary It is the story of government and the people It is less of a military history If you wish a detailed description of the masterful defeat of Russian forces at Tannenberg, you won t get it Th This is an outstanding work It speaks of Germany and Austria Hungary as surrounded by a ring of steel in World War I Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, later the United States, and some smaller countries They were outnumbered.This story is told from the perspective of Germany and Austria Hungary It is the story of government and the people It is less of a military history If you wish a detailed description of the masterful defeat of Russian forces at Tannenberg, you won t get it There are only four pages out of a vo...Ring Of Steel Germany and Austria Hungary in World War I, by Alexander Watson, is just as it sounds A gigantic tome of information on the life and times of the Central Powers excluding Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire as they fought in World War I Germany and Austria Hungary are often maligned as the evil empires that started WWI I much of the Anglo Saxon world, and as both powers lost the war, history continues to be written, mostly, by the victors Watson takes the opposite approach, looki Ring Of Steel Germany and Austria Hungary in World War I, by Alexander Watson, is just as it sounds A gigantic tome of information on the life and times of the Central Powers excluding Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire as they fought in World War I Germany and Austria Hungary are often maligned as the evil empires that started WWI I much of the Anglo Saxon world, and as both powers lost the war, history continues to be written, mostly, by the vi...There isn t much popular history available which provides an internal view of the Central Powers during WW1, so this book is a worthwhile read on that basis This is a survey history, so it necessarily covers a great deal of ground at a high level However, the prose is readable, and Watson provides enough details to keep it interesting, for example, a sentence about a Steiff playset of a French POW transport.It s greatest value lies in its description of how the multi ethnic communities of pre There isn t much popular history available which provides an ...An excellent and comprehensive history of the Austrian and German war effort during the First World War One of Watson s main arguments is that the history of these nations from 1914 1918 played a major role in Europe s later catastrophe in the 1930s and 1940s The great material and emotional investment, of Germany and Austria Hungary, he writes, ensured that defeat, when it came, would have a catastrophic impact on their societies Germany s defeat was to a large degree psychological.Watso An excellent and comprehensive history of the Austrian and German war effort during the First World War One of Watson s main arguments is that the history of these nations from 1914 1918 played a major role in Europe s later catastrophe in the 1930s and 1940s The great material and emotional investment, ...I received this ARC free from the publisher through Net Galley.com I give this book 3 stars Two major defects Promised maps are not there Maps in Table of Contents says to come and about 1 2 of charts tables do not load properly Strengths The author has done an impressive amount of research 120pp of footnotes, 60 pp bibliography many of the sources are in the original German The book reads well, w the major focus on the home front,i.e, how the 2 governments harnessed the population to I received this ARC free from the publisher through Net Galley.com I give this book 3 stars Two major defects Promised maps are not there Maps in Table of Contents says to come and about 1 2 of charts tables do not load properly Strengths The author has done an impressive amount of research 120pp of footnotes, 60 pp bibliography many of the sources are in the original German The book reads well, w the major focus on the home front,i.e, how the 2 governments harnessed the population to support the war I posted this so the publisher could fix the defects and make it a 4 star book My Kindle edition does not give page numbers, but the table of contents shows it to be 800pp, including footnotes, etc.In an interesti...I was really looking forward to reading this book and it did not disappoint It s also, I think, quite an accessible history of the First World War from Germany and Austria Hungary s perspective.The book impressed me immediately I feel like whenever you read any histories about the start of the war, you re always told about ethnic tensions and problems within Austria Hungary, but it never goes much deeper than a surface level, very general overview, and then all of a sudden the Archduke has bee I was really looking forward to reading this book and it did not disappoint It s also, I think, quite an accessible history of the First World War from Germany and Austria Hungary s perspective.The book impressed me immediately I feel like whenever you read any histories about the start of the war, you re always told about ethnic tensions and problems within Austria Hungary, but it never goes much deeper than a surface level, very general overview, and the...

• English
• 25 May 2017
Alexander Watson
• Hardcover
• 832 pages
• 0465018726
• Alexander Watson
• Ring Of Steel