The 17 best books on world war i of 2020 thoughtco. The first world war by john keegan or any single one of them, years beforehand. Sep 21, 1989 historian john keegan packed all of the second world war in one book of 595 pages and did it well. With the first world war, john keegan, one of our most eminent military historians, fulfills a lifelong ambition to write the definitive account of the great war for our generation.
He focuses on five crucial battles and offers new insights into the distinctive methods and motivations of modern warfare. John keegan, the first world war byu scholarsarchive. John keegan is the defence editor of the daily telegraph and britains foremost military historian. Acclaim for john keegan s the first world war if you want a good, solid and reliable narrative of the warits causes. Yet the war remains one of the key events of the century. He has written works quite specific in nature, such as six armies in normandy london. John keegan, a master historian and unparalleled expert in military science, recounts the full history of the war from the fields of flanders to the jungles of africa. Specifically, john talks about whether humanity is naturally warlike, hardwired to. Much of the book is devoted to troop movements and the resulting battles and is hard to follow. Audiobook the second world war by john keegan part 1 of 3 tanks history. The most wonderful aspect of john keegans impeccable writing style is that it is always used in service to the telling the story at hand, in this case the story of the first world war. As keegan argues, the combinaion of influences and social and economic forces leading to the outbreak of the first world war demark the embarkation point for.
For me it was slow reading and i was impressed by the concepts and details he gave. In the book of war, john keegan marshals a formidable host of war writings to chronicle the evolution of western warfare through the voice of the most eloquent participantsfrom thucydides classic account of ancient greek phalanx warfare to a blowbyblow description of ground fighting against the iraqi troops in kuwait during the gulf war. A conflict of unprecedented ferocity, it abruptly ended the relative peace and prosperity of the victorian era. The first world war sage journals sage publications. Page 354 since the objects of the first world war were determined in great measure by the thoughts that were clausewitzs, in the wars aftermath he came to be regarded as the intellectual begetter of a historical catastrophe. John keegan the second world war the second world war is the largest single event in human history, fought across six of the worlds seven continents and all it oceans. This, keegan reasons, is the ultimate mystery of the first world war.
It talks about how catastrophic it was and talks about mistakes that happened, and if wouldnt have happened, would have prevented the first world war from happening as it was so catastrophic. However, the woed brazil does not appear in a kindle search inside his book. As one would expect from the world s most eminent military historian and the author of 12 other books, including the acclaimed the face of battle, the mask of command and six armies in normandy, the story of world war i has never been told with more insight, sympathy and. The crucified christ was an appropriate symbol for millions of young men who diedtoo often anonymouslyon battlefields throughout the world between 1914 and 1918, writes historian john keegan in his ambitious onevolume overview the first world war alfred a. Praised as the best military historian of our generation by tom clancy, john keegan here reconsiders his masterful study of world war ii, the second world war. The first world war by john keegan, paperback barnes. Liddell hart attributed to him a doctrine of absolute war, embraced by european general staffs and emulated by the british. Best military history of first world war as of 2019, i own 40x books on the great war aka ww1. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. Complete summary of john keegans the first world war. The first world war by john keegan is a wonderful overview of the first world war, its cause and its effect.
Keegans great strength is his ability to create a compelling narrative of a complex conflict, allowing the reader to gain a clearer understanding of what happened, and why. A conflict of unparalleled ferocity which extended far beyond its european epicentre, it broke the century of relative peace and prosperity which we associate with the victorian era and unleashed the demons of the twentieth century pestilence, military destruction and mass death and also the ideas which continue to shape our world today. Crash course world history 204 in which john green teaches you about war. This is no surprise since john keegan is generally regarded as the gold standard for authors of military history. In this sterling account of the tragic and unnecessary conflict that inaugurated a century of horror, british military historian keegan fields of battle.
Canadians in the first world war bill freeman and richard nielsen. A conflict of unprecedented ferocity, it abruptly ended the relative peace and prosperity of the victorian era, unleashing such demons of the twentieth century as mechanized warfare and mass death. Neither did its failure, for fail it did, determined what followed. In this comprehensive history, john keegan explores both the technical and the human impact of the greatest war of all time.
John keegan s points out in the second world war that supply of food, raw materials, of finished products, of weapons themselves, lies at root of war. Historian john keegan packed all of the second world war in one book of 595 pages and did it well. Complete summary of john keegans the second world war. I can say that imho this is the best singlevolume military history of the first world war. John keegan the second world war the second world war is the largest single event in human history, fought across six of the world s seven continents and all it oceans. The shattering effects of the war to end all wars have been depicted unforgettably by novelists and. Keegan analyzes five crucial battles, each characteristic of a distinctive kind of warfare ofthe period. Acclaimed military historian john keegans anthology of war writing from 25 centuries of battle in the book of war, john keegan marshals a formidable host of war writings to chronicle the evolution of western warfare through the voice of the most eloquent participantsfrom thucydides classic account of ancient greek phalanx warfare to a blowbyblow description of ground fighting. It also summarizes the affects the war had on the world while raising some interesting questions.
Audiobook the second world war by john keegan part 1 of 3. Dec 09, 2008 at the end of his book, the second world war, john keegan offers a list of 50 books in english that together provide a comprehensive picture of the most important events and themes of the war, which are readable and from which the general reader can derive his own picture of the war as a. The reith lecturer in 1998, he is the author of many bestselling books including the face of battle, six armies in normandy, battle at sea, the second world war, a history of warfare awarded the duff cooper prize, warpaths, the battle for history, the first world war, and most. He wrote many published works on the nature of combat between prehistory and the 21st century, covering land, air, maritime, intelligence warfare and the psychology of battle. By 1916, many of the battles, especially on the western front, blend together.
It killed 50 million human beings, left hundreds of millions of others wounded in mind or body and materially devastated much of the heartland of civilization. Author john keegan gives the impression late in this very good book that he held the kaiser partially responsible for the great war as he embarked on a pointless attempt to match britains maritime strength that. The first world war tells the story with passion, sanity and the military historians eye for overall strategy. Keegan s history of the first world war opens, unexpectedly, by talking about adolf hitler, and what i liked about this book was the way it presented 191418 as just the opening convulsions in a longer twentiethcentury cataclysm to which it remains intimately connected. Nov 21, 2012 the first world war ebook written by john keegan.
Sir john desmond patrick keegan obe frsl 15 may 1934 2 august 2012 was an english military historian, lecturer, writer and journalist. This book talks about how john keegan feels about the first world war. Complete summary of john keegan s the second world war. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Jun 05, 1999 author john keegan gives the impression late in this very good book that he held the kaiser partially responsible for the great war as he embarked on a pointless attempt to match britains maritime strength that.
A history of warfare john keegan report for the military conflict institute july 1994 john sloan outline the author intends the book to address the r eader on three levels 1 the presentation of specific facts describing the content of military history. John keegans books include the iraq war, intelligence in war, the first world war, the battle for history, the face of battle, war and our world, the masks of. I really enjoyed the first world war by john keegan. Much more than a mere chronological narrative, the history of world war ii is recounted both periodically and thematically. John keegans points out in the second world war that supply of food, raw materials, of finished products, of weapons themselves, lies at root of war.
Praised as the best military historian of our generation by tom clancy, john keegan reconsiders his masterful study of world war ii, the second world war, with a new foreword keegan examines each theater of the war, focusing on five crucial battles and offering new insights into the distinctive methods and motivations of modern warfare. About the first world war this serious, compact survey of the wars history stands out as the most wellinformed, accessible work available. The second world war by john keegan overdrive rakuten. Marshall lecture in military history clausewitz and the first world war hew strachan abstract englishlanguage authors have blamed clausewitz twice over for his part in the first world war. The first world war was written by john keegan on may 11th 1999. The first world war by john keegan buy on amazon keegan s book has become a modernday classic, representing the most popular view of the great war. Worse are the maps which tend to confuse more than explain. John keegan is one of our most eminent war historians. Publication date 1999 topics world war, 19141918 publisher a. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read.
The definitive account of the great war and national bestseller from one of our most eminent military historians, john keegan. John keegans books include the iraq war, intelligence in war, the first world war, the battle for history, the face of battle, war and our world, the masks of command, fields of battle, and a history of warfare. With the first world war, john keegan, one of our most eminent military historians, fulfills a lifelong ambition to write the definitive account of the great war for. John keegan s books include the iraq war, intelligence in war, the first world war, the battle for history, the face of battle, war and our world, the masks of command, fields of battle, and a history of warfare. One of the more recent books to provide a good overview of the entire war. John keegans book provides a very thorough look at world war i. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the first world war. Complete summary of john keegan s the first world war. Oct 20, 2015 audiobook the second world war by john keegan part 1 of 3 tanks history. It details the politics, both international and internal to each of the primary countries, in addition to the military status, targets and goals. Probing the mystery of how a civilization at the height of its achievement could have propelled itself into such a ruinous conflict, keegan takes us behind the. A history of warfare by john keegan in fb2, rtf, txt download ebook.
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