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To End All Wars: A Story Of Loyalty And Rebellion, 1914-1918 (2011)

by Adam Hochschild(Favorite Author)

4.13 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0618758283 (ISBN13: 9780618758289)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

review 1: A well-written, enjoyable read BUT Hochschild seems to believe that all the misery of the 20th Century War can be blamed on British participation in the Great War. He's so focused on World War Two that he forgets that history can seldom be reduced to an easy good/bad verdict. Also, he argues in the last chapter that the dissenters and COs were "those who often knew in advance that they were going to lose yet felt the fight was worth it anyway, because of the example it set for those who might someday win." Doesn't this describe many who fought? Just because Hochschild disagrees with their views does not make them any less courageous.
review 2: A very readable and enjoyable book, but Hochschild overstates his case that so many died in the war because of the will... moreful ignorance of the generals in charge. He portrays the English commanders as men slavishly devoted to tradition (the cavalry, old-style helmets, colorful uniforms, etc) while ignoring the hundreds of thousands of dead. He doesn't seem to understand the limits of artillery in 1914-16. The sections of the war protesters are much better; the juxtaposition of warriors with pacifists is excellent. less

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