Tom Pendergast – World War I. Reference Library (4 Volumes)

Автор: Tom Pendergast
Название книги: World War I. Reference Library (4 Volumes)
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Военная история
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

World War I was truly one of the most tragic events of the
twentieth century. The war began over a terrorist act in
the provinces of the fading Austro-Hungarian Empire and
could have been avoided if Germany, Russia, and France hadn’t
felt compelled to obey secret treaties they had signed years
before. Those secret treaties turned a small conflict into one
that involved every major country in Europe and eventually
many other nations from around the world. In the course of
just over four years of war, nearly ten million soldiers and civilians
lost their lives; billions of dollars were spent on killing
machines—guns, tanks, submarines—and the economies of
most of the warring countries were severely disrupted; two
great empires—the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the
Ottoman Empire—collapsed in defeat.
At the end of this terrible conflict, little had changed.
Ethnic conflicts in the Balkan region continued to pit neighbor
against neighbor. Attempts to create an international organization
that would ensure world peace collapsed when the
United States withdrew its support. Germany, though
defeated, remained at odds with its rivals, France and England
and military leaders within Germany longed to avenge their
defeat. Within twenty years of the end of World War I these
simmering tensions sparked another war, World War II, which
returned death and destruction to the continent of Europe and
to battlefields all over the world.
Features
World War I: Almanac covers the war in twelve thematic
chapters, each geared toward offering an understanding
of a single element of the conflict, from the underlying causes
of the war to the many battles fought on the various fronts to
the anguished attempt to establish world peace at the war’s
end. More than 70 black-and-white photos and maps illustrate
the text. Numerous sidebars highlight interesting individuals
and fascinating facts. The volume also includes a glossary, a
timeline, research and activities ideas, sources for further reading,
and a subject index.
Related Reference Sources
World War I: Biographies (one volume) presents biographies
of thirty men and women who were involved in World
War I. Profiled are readily recognizable figures, such as U.S.
president Woodrow Wilson and German leader Kaiser Wilhelm
II, as well as lesser-known people like Jewish spy Sarah
Aaronsohn and English nurse Edith Cavell.
World War I: Primary Sources (one volume) offers thirtythree
full or excerpted documents from the World War I era.
Included are Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” speech;
excerpts from Ernest Hemingway’s novel Farewell to Arms;
poems from leading war poets such as Alan Seeger and Rupert
Brooke; and the “Dual Alliance” secret treaty between Germany
and Austria-Hungary. A sampling of propaganda posters
and numerous first-person accounts from soldiers at the front
are also present

Volume 2 – Biographies
Volume 3 – Primary Sources
Volume 4 – Index