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1913: In Search Of The World Before The Great War (2013)

by Charles Emmerson(Favorite Author)

3.76 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1610392566 (ISBN13: 9781610392563)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

PublicAffairs

review 1: This is quite an unusual one really. A brief summary of what the book aims to do is paint a snap shot of several major cities, some up and coming and others well established, before the eruption of the First World War. In this the book definitely succeeded in painting some very interesting scenes. However the thing that confused me slightly is that I feel a better title would have been "In search of the world before the wars". While many of the cities discussed within the book are those that were most affected by the first world war, namely Paris, St Petersburg, Berlin and Vienna the author also discusses several other cities that so far as I can tell were far more caught up in the storm that was the Second World War. My confusion isn't intended as a criticism in any way a... mores this was a thoroughly enjoyable read but it did seem weirdly limited at times. Would gladly recommend for anyone interested in a slightly different approach to the history of WW1.
review 2: I think many people, certainly I am one, have only a vague idea of what the world was like in the years leading up to the first world war. Some of this is due to the Masterpiece Theater Edwardian Era rose colored glasses through we see that time which came even before the cataclysm of the second world war which is the reference point form many people when they consider how the world today came to be and the first conflict is somewhat relegated to a kind of sentinel event, however terrible it was. Charles Emmerson in his book 1913 takes us on a tour of the worlds capitals in 1913 and paints a necessarily lean picture of the world as it was leading up to the war. While there were some high points suggestive of progressive social change it is hard to come away from this book without a sense that while the specific conflict in Europe might not have been inevitable, global and violent change was and rose colored classes would still be needed on Sunday evenings. less

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