The Guns of August: The Classic Bestselling Account of the Outbreak of the First World War

We just recently remembered the 100th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice. Wars fought a century ago tend to be somewhat difficult to recall in their key features. Four elements need to be seared into our conscience after a reading of Mrs. Tuchman's excellent 1962 offering:First, how close the first month of the war came to being a total Allied debacle. The Germans were essentially a few armies and a couple of days away from sweeping away the French outside of Paris. The Battle of the Marne revealed itself to be a pivotal point in the war, but only insofar as it allowed for the war to go on. The Germans were a few miles away from Paris, bombed it profusely and could almost see it in their dreams. The French losses and the poor cooperation with the British really almost cost the Allies the War. Had the Russians not essentially accepted to enter the war weeks before they could conceivably be ready, and accepted to lose completely against East Prussian armies, the story might/would have been different. It was really close.Second, the idea that decisive battles would make or break victory has been put to rest. The first month and the Battle of the Marne where Paris was defended, gave way to the horror of trench warfare, which we are currently experiencing again in Ukraine. Weapons, even in 1914, gave the defense of territory a huge advantage. That WW1 became a war of defense of hard fought territory defined how war between belligerents could now be viewed.Third, while this is not Tuchman's strength, she attempts to address some of the Zeitgeist of the age that might have led to the war: the sense of jealousy that Germans may have felt of French and British colonial power, their belief in their superior science and weaponry, their disdain for treaties and certain alliances, etc. All of these ideas are part of the fiction that political figures give the people that support them in an attempt to justify their geopolitical ambitions. It has been true throughout history, as it was true in the beginning of the 20th century in the unfinished war of 1914-18, in the terrible follow-up war a mere 21 years later and in the manner in which it is reflected in all manners of genocide and wars since then. There is something about the fallacy of how we view ourselves and others that somehow justifies war. Tuchman does not do this point justice. For a more thorough treatment of this idea as it pertains to WW1, read MacMillan's "The War That Ended Peace".Finally, the issues that were at the heart of WW1 were not resolved, they led to a century of horrible conflict and political domination by some over others. There has always been the idea that wars can bring us in better directions from a social and political perspective. In retrospect, I fail to see anything good emanating from WW1. All I observe is a profound human tendency to aggression, even in the context of progress and hope, a penchant for violence even when everything else points towards peace. All of the Stephen Pinkers of this world cannot replace the 20 million deaths of WW1 and the horrible century that was the 20th. All of the apostles of human improvement cannot account for the horror we so glibly enter into. There is a gaping wound that will not heal.

Como todas las obras de Barbara, extraordinariamente bien documentado. Tal vez su mejor libro. Al menos de los que he leído.

A must read for students of history and strategy. Wonderfully written and gripping!

Seule une étrangère américaine, tant historienne que psychologue pouvait mettre à nue les raisons profondes de la guerre, jeux de pouvoir entre les hommes d'influence.Ainsi, Barbara Tuchman explique comment Gallieni a réussi à convaincre Joffre de lancer la bataille de la Marne.Les armées françaises battaient en retraite et la France semblait avoir déjà perdu. Joffre, improbable chef d'état-major des armées, était devenu ingérable, il refusait tant l'autorité du Président de la République Poincaré que la coopération avec les alliés Anglais dirigés par le général French. Sans vision stratégique, mais jaloux de préserver son autorité, Joffre venait de démissionner le général Castelnau qui grâce à son dévouement et sa lucidité avait sauvé les armées françaises d'un encerclement par les armées Allemandes.Joffre avait décidé de livrer Paris aux Allemands en la déclarant ville ouverte.Dans ce contexte, un seul homme, le général Gallieni, investi d'aucun pouvoir, mais doté de l'autorité morale d'ancien supérieur de Joffre pouvait le ramener à la raison et rallier français et anglais à son plan de bataille de la Marne.Autre exemple passionnant, quand Barbara Tuchman, reprend les discours politiques et les débats à l'origine de la décision d'entrée en guerre du Royaume-Uni. A chaque fois Barbara Tuchman replace le lecteur au coeur de l'histoire au centre des débats, des échanges et des grands discours politiques à l'origine des décisions majeures. Replacé au centre des lieux de décision, le lecteur revit l'histoire.

As a retired Army officer, we read a lot about the various campaigns and battles during this most horrific industrialized war of attrition. However, we never went into the detail of the background behind it.This author brings to life a lively historical look at the "movers & shakers" and the failures that caused this war to happen. She gives you the feeling of being in the various situations as an "invisible" staff officer observing the course of events of what happened in one month which resulted in a war that would last for 4 long & brutal years. I had never realized that the time between the War of 1871 to the start of WWI had been in reality a historical "Cold War" that involved elaborate invasion plans, defenses and strategies. It is amazing how much power these monarchs had and the intricate treaties woven amongst them. We say that this could never happen again. However, we have today individual heads of states that can start wars without the approval of their congresses or parliaments. A reminder what can happen if false assumptions and poor decisions are made can result in a bloody war. The author definitely made the point in her book.The only negative point - The maps in the mass market addition were of poor quality and I had to go on line WWI atlases to see the details of these areas of operations.