The War to End All Wars: World War I

Freedman, Russell. The War to End All Wars: World War I. 2010. 176p. ISBN 978-0-547-02686-2. 940.3 FRE on the library shelves and available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

The assassination of the Hapsburg Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austria-Hungary, marks the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the most modern and horrific war the world had seen, the war to end all wars.

The growth in power, prestige, and population of Germany had been accompanied by a desire to alter the world order in the German Empire’s favor. France and Russia, on either side of Germany and feeling threatened by an expansionist policy, signed treaties binding them to one another. Germany, meanwhile, felt encircled by its enemies, bottled up by the British navy, and left out of the great colonization game. Austria-Hungary was already a failed state heading for decay, while the Ottoman empire had already begun its long collapse. Great Britain was watching the German naval buildup with a worried eye to its own supremacy on the seas.

The escalation that followed the death of Ferdinand, from Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war against Serbia to the entrance of all major participants within a few weeks led to four years of bloodshed and destruction unsurpassed in the history of the world until World War II. Ready for a “civilized” war with horse charges, soldiers were shocked when they encountered the deadly combination of barb wires and machine guns. What was supposed to be a war of movement ended up as a stalemate on the Western front, with major offensives eating through hundred of thousands of men for minimal gains.

The apparition of the submarine, the tank, poison gas, and the airplane, as well as the overwhelming use of artillery, made the First World War deadly. Women entered the workforce. Revolutions swept away some of the old monarchies, and new countries arose in their stead. The world was forever changed, and the First World War directly led to the Second as grievances caused the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.

Beautifully and succinctly presented, Freedman condenses four years of horrific war into a short history of the War, providing amazing illustrations and exploring the causes and the consequences of the war. You will not be able to put this book down! And if you enjoy this book, take a look at Women Heroes of World War I, a great history of sixteen women who actively participated in the war.