The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War

The First World War, now a century ago, still shapes the world in which we live, and its legacy lives on, in poetry, in prose, in collective memory and political culture. By the time the war ended in 1918, millions lay dead. Three major empires lay shattered by defeat, those of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottomans. A fourth, Russia, was in the throes of a revolution that helped define the rest of the twentieth century. The Oxford History of the First World War brings together in one volume many of the most distinguished historians of the conflict, in an account that matches the scale of the events. From its causes to its consequences, from the Western Front to the Eastern, from the strategy of the politicians to the tactics of the generals, they chart the course of the war and assess its profound political and human consequences. Chapters on economic mobilization, the impact on women, the role of propaganda, and the rise of socialism establish the wider context of the fighting at sea and in the air, and which ranged on land from the trenches of Flanders to the mountains of the Balkans and the deserts of the Middle East. First published for the 90th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, this highly illustrated revised edition contains significant new material to mark the 100th anniversary of the war's outbreak. It is an essential introduction for all students of the First World War; the many photos included will also make it appeal to a general audience. New Statesman This is as complete a snapshot of the war as you are likely to get. Northern EchoIntroduction ; 1. The Origins of the War ; 2. The Strategy of the Central Powers, 1914-1917 ; 3. Manoeuvre Warfare: The Eastern and Western Fronts, 1914-1915 ; 4. The Strategy of the Entente Powers, 1914-1917 ; 5. The Balkans, 1914-1918 ; 6. Turkey's War ; 7. The War in Africa ; 8. The War at Sea ; 9. Economic Warfare ; 10. Economic Mobilization: Money, Munitions, Machines ; 11. The Role of Women in War ; 12. The Challenge to Liberalism: The Politics of the Home Fronts ; 13. Eastern Front and Western Front, 1916-1917 ; 14. Mutinies and Military Morale ; 15. War Aims and Peace Negotiations ; 16. Propaganda and the Mobilization of Consent ; 17. Socialism, Peace, and Revolution, 1917-1918 ; 18. The Entry of the USA into the War and its Effects ; 19. The German Victories, 1917-1918 ; 20. The War in the Air ; 21. The Allied Victories, 1918 ; 22. The Peace Settlement ; 23. No End to War ; 24. Memory and the Great War ; Further Reading ; Index