A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER10 BEST BOOKS THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW 2011 NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post The New Yorker Chicago Tribune The Economist Nancy Pearl, NPR Bloomberg.comLibrary Journal Publishers WeeklyAcclaimed historian Amanda Foreman follows the phenomenal success of her New York Times bestseller Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire with her long awaited second work of nonfiction the fascinating story of the American Civil War and the major role played by Britain and its citizens in that epic struggle.Even before the first rumblings of secession shook the halls of Congress, British involvement in the coming schism was inevitable Britain was dependent on the South for cotton, and in turn the Confederacy relied almost exclusively on Britain for guns, bullets, and ships The Union sought to block any diplomacy between the two and consistently teetered on the brink of war with Britain For four years the complex web of relationships between the countries led to defeats and victories both minute and history making In A World on Fire, Amanda Foreman examines the fraught relations from multiple angles while she introduces characters both humble and grand, bringing them to vivid life over the course of her sweeping and brilliant narrative.Between 1861 and 1865, thousands of British citizens volunteered for service on both sides of the Civil War From the first cannon blasts on Fort Sumter to Lee s surrender at Appomattox, they served as officers and infantrymen, sailors and nurses, blockade runners and spies Through personal letters, diaries, and journals, Foreman has woven together their experiences to form a panoramic yet intimate view of the war on the front lines, in the prison camps, and in the great cities of both the Union and the Confederacy Through the eyes of these brave volunteers we see the details of the struggle for life and the great and powerful forces that threatened to demolish a nation.In the drawing rooms of London and the offices of Washington, on muddy fields and aboard packed ships, Foreman reveals the decisions made, the beliefs held and contested, and the personal triumphs and sacrifices that ultimately led to the reunification of America A World on Fire is a complex and groundbreaking work that will surely cement Amanda Foreman s position as one of the most influential historians of our time. Download A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War by Amanda Foreman – kino-fada.fr This is a very big book about a footnote of the American Civil War That footnote is Great Britains decision to maintain its neutrality while the Union and Confederacy bled each other white from 1861 1865 Of course, I dont mean to diminish the importance of that decision Certainly, if Great Britain had entered the Civil War, the contours if not necessarily the conclusion of the conflict would have been drastically altered Still, this is a decision point that is usually relegated to a This is a very big book about a footnote of the American Civil War That footnote is Great Britain s decision to maintain its neutrality while the Union and Confederacy bled each other white from 1861 1865 Of course, I don t mean to diminish the importance of that decision Certainly, if Great Britain had entered the Civil War, the contours if not necessarily the conclusion of the conflict would have been drastically altered Still, this is a decision point that is usually relegated to a sentence or two in most Civil War histories In A World on Fire, Amanda Foreman devotes over 800 pages to the topic Following the outbreak of the Civil War, both sides North and South figured that Great Britain would support them The North believed it was the legitimate nation state involved, and should ve had a diplomatic leg up due to its prior relations The South figured that King Cotton, so impo...This is a big and weighty book and is a thoroughly interesting approach that focusses on the relationship between Great Britain and the two combatants If you re looking for a book that deals with the battles, strategy and tactics in great detail this is not the right volume for you, although these are covered to some extent as the narrative progresses, with some excellent accounts of predominently British subjects fighting on either side that shows the reach the war had across the Atlantic This is a big and weighty book and is a thoroughly interesting approach that focusses on the relationship between Great Britain and the two combatants If you re looking for a book that deals with the battles, strategy and tactics in great detail this is not the right volume for you, although these are covered to some extent as the narrative progresses, with some excellent accounts of predominently British subjects fighting on either side that shows the reach the war had across the Atlantic What the the author does well, and I very found interesting, is to describe the political strategies and intrigues that were adopted by the two combatants The discussions and disagreements the respective US and CS Governments had and their willingness to influence, ignore and provoke Britain and France was fascinating, as was the two great powers own reactions and strategies Cotton, blockade running, ship building, slavery, newspapers reporting and propaganda financia...The subject is most interesting, emphasizing the role of diplomacy, even world diplomacy, in deciding what has been looked at as primarily an American military event The way in which the author recaps the major momentum movement of the American Civil War is also helpful But she chooses such a massive subject that she could use some leavening to make her workappetizing.More individual human illustrations would have been helpful in increasing passionate interest in the reader The The subject is most interesting, emphasizing the role o...When I purchased this book over a year ago, I sensed that I would be undertaking an Olympian journey because there is muchabout the history of the American Civil War than meets the eye at first glance The story of Anglo American relations during this period is a very complex and complicated one It abounds in drama with a variety of rich and compelling characters great and small not unlike that in an epic novel I learned SO, SO MUCH from reading A World on Fire I had been largely When I purchased this book over a year ago, I sensed that I would be undertaking an Olympian journey because there is muchabout the history of the American Civil War than meets the eye at first glance The story of Anglo American relations during this period is a very complex and complicated one It abounds in drama with a variety of rich and compelling characters great and small not unlike that in an epic novel I learned SO, SO MUCH from reading A World on Fire I had been largely unaware of the British influence and contribution not always voluntary in both North and Sou...This is simply one of the best books ever written on the diplomatic complications between the USA and Great Britain that were caused or exacerbated by the Civil War The smart money, at the beginning of the war, seemed to be on the Brits supporting the Confederacy, not least because the UK s enormous textile industry was dependent on the South for its cotton However, it should be pointed out that, in spite of support in some sectors, it was politically impossible for Palmerston s Liberals to This is simply one of the best books ever written on the diplomatic complications between the USA and Great Britain that were caused or exacerbated by the Civil War The smart money, at the beginning of the war, seemed to be on the Brits supporting the Confederacy, not least because the UK s enormous textile industry was dependent on the South for its cotton However, it should be pointed out that, in spite of support in some sectors, it was politically impossible for Palmerston s Liberals to help the rebellion because of the Confederacy s widespread use of chattel slavery, give or take a commerce raider or two So, while USA UK relations were occasionally rocky, the efforts by statesmen and diplomats in both London and Washington kept those rela...A readable, engaging and fascinating history of Britains involvement in the American civil war Foreman does a great job describing the widespread sympathy for the Confederacy among the English upper class, even though Britain had been a leader in the international movement against the slave trade Wealthy Brits convinced themselves that the Confederacy would end slavery soon after independence and that supporting the South would speed emancipation Foreman makes this flight of self interested A readable, engaging and fascinating history of Britain s involvement in the American civil war Foreman does a great job describing the widespread sympathy for the Confederacy among the English upper class, even though Britain had been a leader in the international movement against the slave trade Wealthy Brits convinced themselves that the Confederacy would end slavery soon after independence and that supporting the South would speed emancipation Foreman makes this flight of self interested fancy almost understandable.Foreman s most important contribution, of course, is that on diplomatic relations Heavy treatment is given to Lord John Russell, British secretary of state for foreign affairs and Lord Lyons, the British ambas...At eight hundred pages and counting, Foremans narrative threatens to be a forbidding slog up a mountain of dispiriting data Mind numbing statistics like Twenty five thousand men were killed, wounded, or missing on a single day at Antietam loom hazily, but large, in our collective memory But it isnt In fact, Foremans way with the data is very reader friendly.A World on Fire proceeds mainly through biographical material Family letters, personal journals and memoirs are given as much weight as At eight hu...How anyone can rate this book one star without a comment is totally beyond my comprehension I can honestly say that it is one of the best non fiction reads of this year I have the UK edition , and hopefully will be next year when it comes out in the U.S. The author ties together national relations between the U.S and the UK during the Civil War, mixes in mini bios of all of the major characters both politica...This is one of the best books I have ever read It will definitely be on my top ten list this year and right now is at 1 It is a scholarly look at the Civil War, but from the British point of view I have read and seen so much of the Civil War but this is an aspect of it that I had never learned much about This book is about how both the North and the South had agents in Europe, especially in London, to try to influence the European powers The Confederacy was desperately trying to get This is one of the best books I have ever read It will definitely be on my top ten list this year and right now is at 1 It is a scholarly look at the Civil War, but from the British point of view I have read and seen so much of the Civil War but this is an aspect of it that I had never learned much about This book is about how both the North and the South had agents in Europe, especially in London, to try to influence the European powers The Confederacy was desperate...This book is too long by half 400 pages would ve beenthan adequate for the author to present her evidence of Britain s supposed crucial role in the American Civil War the diplomatic shenanigans, spies, plots, and whatnots get redundant and tiresome after a while Intermixed with the relevant and interesting segments of History, we get side stories about people we ve never heard and therefore couldn t care less about These are what at times made this book somewhat of a chore to This book is too long by half 400 pages would ve beenthan adequate for the author to present her evidence of Britain s supposed crucial role in the American Civil War the diplomatic shenanigans, spies, plots, and whatnots get redundant and tiresome after a while Intermixed with the relevant and interesting segments of History, we get side stories about people we ve never heard and therefore couldn t care less about These are what at times made this book somewhat of a chore to read I ve read a few books on the American Civil War, so there was the inevitable information overlap with these other books, but I did lear...

A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War
  • English
  • 02 December 2018
  • Hardcover
  • 988 pages
  • 037550494X
  • Amanda Foreman
  • A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War