In 1914 America was determined to stay clear of Europe's war. By 1917, the country was ready to lunge into the fray. The Path to War tells the full story of what happened.

The Untold Story of the FIRST WORLD WAR: World War One: True Stories of the Great War The First World War (1914 - 1918), or the Great War as it was known at the time, is a pivotal moment in world history for a number of reasons. There had been wars involving many countries many times before, but mostly these conflicts had been localised, mostly in Europe. The Great War involved most of the nations of the world and was fought on every continent. There had been many longer wars, but none had inflicted such terrible loss of life, both military and civilian. The casualties of World War I were numbered in the millions. Twelve million died, with another twenty million wounded. The population of the world in 1900 was about one and a half billion. The First World War killed close to one hundredth of the population of the world in just four years. Never before had such terrible weapons of destruction been constructed. And although civilians had always suffered in war, the business of war itself was in the hands of professional soldiers. Now however, war affected the daily lives of everyone and all were called upon to contribute to the war effort. World War I turned the world on its head, and prepared the way for the coming of our own world. This book looks at the untold story of World War One, and the events leading up to this major conflict of the modern era. A must-read for fans of history, or anyone interesting in uncovering the true story of what really went on in the build up to, during and beyond the First World War.

On February 21, 1916, the Germans launched a surprise offensive at Verdun, an important fortress in northeastern France, sparking a brutal and protracted conflict that would claim more than 700,000 victims. The carnage had little impact on the course of the war, and Verdun ultimately came to symbolize the absurdity and horror of trench warfare. Ian Ousby offers a radical reevaluation of this cataclysmic battle, arguing that the French bear tremendous responsibility for the senseless slaughter. He shows how the battle’s roots lay in the Franco-Prussian war and how its legacy helped lay the groundwork for World War II. Merging intellectual substance with superb battle writing, The Road to Verdun is a moving and incisive account of one of the most important battles of the twentieth century. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Battlefield travel guide for World War One Western Front battlefields in France and Belgium.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • The Economist • The Christian Science Monitor • Bloomberg Businessweek • The Globe and Mail From the bestselling and award-winning author of Paris 1919 comes a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, a fascinating portrait of Europe from 1900 up to the outbreak of World War I. The century since the end of the Napoleonic wars had been the most peaceful era Europe had known since the fall of the Roman Empire. In the first years of the twentieth century, Europe believed it was marching to a golden, happy, and prosperous future. But instead, complex personalities and rivalries, colonialism and ethnic nationalisms, and shifting alliances helped to bring about the failure of the long peace and the outbreak of a war that transformed Europe and the world. The War That Ended Peace brings vividly to life the military leaders, politicians, diplomats, bankers, and the extended, interrelated family of crowned heads across Europe who failed to stop the descent into war: in Germany, the mercurial Kaiser Wilhelm II and the chief of the German general staff, Von Moltke the Younger; in Austria-Hungary, Emperor Franz Joseph, a man who tried, through sheer hard work, to stave off the coming chaos in his empire; in Russia, Tsar Nicholas II and his wife; in Britain, King Edward VII, Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, and British admiral Jacky Fisher, the fierce advocate of naval reform who entered into the arms race with Germany that pushed the continent toward confrontation on land and sea. There are the would-be peacemakers as well, among them prophets of the horrors of future wars whose warnings went unheeded: Alfred Nobel, who donated his fortune to the cause of international understanding, and Bertha von Suttner, a writer and activist who was the first woman awarded Nobel’s new Peace Prize. Here too we meet the urbane and cosmopolitan Count Harry Kessler, who noticed many of the early signs that something was stirring in Europe; the young Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty and a rising figure in British politics; Madame Caillaux, who shot a man who might have been a force for peace; and more. With indelible portraits, MacMillan shows how the fateful decisions of a few powerful people changed the course of history. Taut, suspenseful, and impossible to put down, The War That Ended Peace is also a wise cautionary reminder of how wars happen in spite of the near-universal desire to keep the peace. Destined to become a classic in the tradition of Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August, The War That Ended Peace enriches our understanding of one of the defining periods and events of the twentieth century. Praise for The War That Ended Peace “Magnificent . . . The War That Ended Peace will certainly rank among the best books of the centennial crop.”—The Economist “Superb.”—The New York Times Book Review “Masterly . . . marvelous . . . Those looking to understand why World War I happened will have a hard time finding a better place to start.”—The Christian Science Monitor “The debate over the war’s origins has raged for years. Ms. MacMillan’s explanation goes straight to the heart of political fallibility. . . . Elegantly written, with wonderful character sketches of the key players, this is a book to be treasured.”—The Wall Street Journal “A magisterial 600-page panorama.”—Christopher Clark, London Review of Books

It's 1917 and the Great War rages in Europe. When Daffy Rowntree's brother goes missing in action she refuses to sit safely in England, and determines to do something to help win the war. Soon she finds herself in the mud and horror of the battlefields of France, driving an ambulance transporting the wounded of the trenches...

Why did the Ottoman Empire enter the First World War in late October 1914, months after the war's devastations had become clear? Were its leaders 'simple-minded,' 'below-average' individuals, as the doyen of Turkish diplomatic history has argued? Or, as others have claimed, did the Ottomans enter the war because War Minister Enver Pasha, dictating Ottoman decisions, was in thrall to the Germans and to his own expansionist dreams? Based on previously untapped Ottoman and European sources, Mustafa Aksakal's dramatic study challenges this consensus. It demonstrates that responsibility went far beyond Enver, that the road to war was paved by the demands of a politically interested public, and that the Ottoman leadership sought the German alliance as the only way out of a web of international threats and domestic insecurities, opting for an escape whose catastrophic consequences for the empire and seismic impact on the Middle East are felt even today.

"Verdun was the largest, the longest and the bloodiest battle between the French and Germans in the First World War, lasting from February 1916 until the end of the year and claiming more than 700,000 casualties. For the French in particular, it was always more than just a battle, being rather (in Paul Valery's words) 'a complete war in itself, inserted in the Great War'. Ian Ousby's new book gives a vivid, insightful account of the generals' planning and the troops' suffering. At the same time it challenges the narrow horizons of military history by locating the experience of Verdun in how the French had thought about themselves, their nation and their relations with their eastern neighbour since the debacle of the Franco-Prussian War. Verdun emerges as the mid-point in the cycle of Franco-German hostility, carrying both the burden of history and - if only by the presence on the battlefield of men like Petain and de Gaulle, France's two leaders in the next war - the seeds of the future. The Road to Verdun will radically challenge every reader's view of France - and of the very nature of warfare."

Are you interested in learning more about the two world wars that shaped the modern world? Do you want to explore the causes, battles, and outcomes of World War I and II, and the interconnectedness of these conflicts? If so, our book bundle, "World War I & II: Two Wars, One World - The Cost of Victory," is for you. This bundle offers readers a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the political, economic, social, and cultural consequences of both wars. Through these pages, you'll explore the causes of the two wars, the military strategies and tactics used by both sides, and the impact these conflicts had on human lives. In "Two Wars, One World," we go beyond the usual narratives of World War I and II as separate events, and reveal the interconnectedness of these two global conflicts. We explore how the Treaty of Versailles, signed at the end of World War I, created conditions that led to the rise of Nazism in Germany and ultimately, the outbreak of World War II. You'll discover how the technological advancements and military strategies developed during World War I influenced the course of World War II. But the book bundle doesn't stop there. We bring you the personal stories of soldiers and civilians from different countries, exploring the impact of the wars on their lives and the societies in which they lived. We also offer a critical reflection on the cost of victory in both wars, examining the long-term political, economic, and social consequences of these conflicts. With "Two Wars, One World," you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the two wars and the profound impact they had on the world as we know it today. Our bundle is an essential read for history enthusiasts, students, and anyone who wants to understand the roots of today's world conflicts. Don't miss out on this opportunity to explore the cost of victory and the interconnectedness of these two monumental wars. Get your copy of "World War I & II: Two Wars, One World - The Cost of Victory" today!