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• 1. Introduction
• 2. Togoland
• 3. The Cameroons
• 4. South-West Africa
• 5. East Africa 1914-1915
• 6. West Africa 1916-1918.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

To Arms is Hew Strachan's most complete and definitive study of the opening of the First World War. Now, key sections from this magisterial work are published as individual paperbacks, each complete in itself, and with a new introduction by the author. The First World War was not just fought in the trenches of the western front. It embraced all of Africa. Many of those who fought this white man's war were black. The dangers they confronted went beyond those of the battlefield. They fell prey to malaria and dysentery, and they were attacked by lions and crocodiles. But it was a vast and spectacular theatre of operations, in which great personalities - thrusting German officers like Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, or big-game hunters like Peter Pretorious - could impose themselves. Embracing the perspectives of all the nations who fought there, this is the first ever full account of the Great War in Africa.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Togoland
• 3. The Cameroons
• 4. South-West Africa
• 5. East Africa 1914-1915
• 6. West Africa 1916-1918.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

To Arms is Hew Strachan's most complete and definitive study of the opening of the First World War. Now, key sections from this magisterial work are published as individual paperbacks, each complete in itself, and with a new introduction by the author. The First World War was not just fought in the trenches of the western front. It embraced all of Africa. Many of those who fought this white man's war were black. The dangers they confronted went beyond those of the battlefield. They fell prey to malaria and dysentery, and they were attacked by lions and crocodiles. But it was a vast and spectacular theatre of operations, in which great personalities - thrusting German officers like Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, or big-game hunters like Peter Pretorious - could impose themselves. Embracing the perspectives of all the nations who fought there, this is the first ever full account of the Great War in Africa.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Introduction
• 1. War and strategy at the beginning of the twenty-first century
• 2. The meaning of strategy: historical perspectives
• 3. The case for Clausewitz: reading 'On War' today
• 4. Making strategy work: civil-military relations in Britain and the United States
• 5. Strategy and the limitation of war
• 6. Europe armies and limited war
• 7. The limitations of strategic culture: the case of the British way in warfare
• 8. Maritime strategy and national policy
• 9. Technology and strategy
• 10. War is war: imperial legacies and current conflicts
• 11. Strategy and the operational level of war
• 12. Strategy and contingency
• 13. Strategy: change and continuity.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

The wars since 9/11, both in Iraq and Afghanistan, have generated frustration and an increasing sense of failure in the West. Much of the blame has been attributed to poor strategy. In both the United States and the United Kingdom, public enquiries and defence think tanks have detected a lack of consistent direction, of effective communication, and of governmental coordination. In this important book, Sir Hew Strachan, one of the world's leading military historians, reveals how these failures resulted from a fundamental misreading and misapplication of strategy itself. He argues that the wars since 2001 have not in reality been as 'new' as has been widely assumed and that we need to adopt a more historical approach to contemporary strategy in order to identify what is really changing in how we wage war. If war is to fulfil the aims of policy, then we need first to understand war.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• The reality of war
• The writing of On war
• The nature of war
• The theory of war.

'Atlantic Books has achieved a publishing coup with its "Books that Shook the World" series...short biographies of great books, securing the best people to write them and ensuring that the remit to produce compendious, clear and engaged accounts...this series is a big success.' - A. C. Grayling, "The Times." Rights have been sold in 15 countries. Each volume is a beautifully designed and produced B-format hardback. "On War" by Carl von Clausewitz was first published in Germany after the Napoleonic Wars. One of the most significant treatises on military strategy ever written, it is still prescribed at various military academies today. Its description of 'absolute war' and its insistence on the centrality of battle to war have been blamed for the level of destruction involved in both the First and Second World Wars. Hew Strachan's accessible book challenges the popular misconceptions that surround "On War". He dispels the notion that for Clausewitz policy necessarily shapes war, asserting instead that war has its own dynamic and that its reciprocal effects can themselves shape policy. Strachan returns to the very heart of "On War" to recover the arguments at its core, in the process challenging the received wisdom about this cornerstone of military strategy. Hew Strachan is one of the world's foremost historians of war. His book is a vigorous and timely analysis of von Clausewitz's seminal treatise. These are from the reviews of The First World War.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

A significant addition to the literature on World War I, which takes a global view of what has frequently been misperceived as a prolonged skirmish on the Western Front. Exploring such theatres as the Balkans, Africa and the Ottoman Empire, this single-volume work assesses Britain's participation in the light of what became a struggle for the defence of liberalism, and shows how the war shaped the "short" 20th century that followed it. Published to tie in with a television series, "The First World War" accompanies 10 one-hour episodes to be shown on Channel 4 during the autumn of 2003.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• List of Maps
• Introduction
• 1. The Origins of the War
• 2. Willingly to War
• 3. The Western Front in 1914
• 4. The Eastern Front in 1914
• 5. The War in Northern Waters 1914-1915
• 6. The War in the Pacific
• 7. The Dark Continent: Colonial Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa
• 8. Turkey's Entry
• 9. Germany's Global Strategy
• 10. Financing the War
• 11. Industrial Mobilization
• Conclusion: The Ideas of 1914
• Bibliography
• Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

This is the first truly definitive history of the First World War, the war that has done most to shape the twentieth century. The first generation of its historians had access to only a limited range of sources, and their focus was primarily on military events. More recent approaches have embraced cultural, diplomatic, economic, and social history. In Hew Strachan's authoritative and readable history these fresh perspectives are incorporated with the military and strategic narrative. The result is an account that breaks the bounds of national preoccupations to become both global and comparative. To Arms, the first of three volumes in this magisterial study, examines not only the causes of the war and its opening clashes on land and sea, but also the ideas that underpinned it, and the motivations of the people who supported it. It provides full and pioneering accounts of the war's finances, of the war in Africa, and of the Central Powers' bid to widen the war outside Europe.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• List of Maps
• Introduction
• 1. The Origins of the War
• 2. Willingly to War
• 3. The Western Front in 1914
• 4. The Eastern Front in 1914
• 5. The War in Northern Waters 1914-1915
• 6. The War in the Pacific
• 7. The Dark Continent: Colonial Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa
• 8. Turkey's Entry
• 9. Germany's Global Strategy
• 10. Financing the War
• 11. Industrial Mobilization
• Conclusion: The Ideas of 1914
• Bibliography
• Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

This is the first truly definitive history of the First World War, the war that has done most to shape the twentieth century. The first generation of its historians had access to only a limited range of sources, and their focus was primarily on military events. More recent approaches have embraced cultural, diplomatic, economic, and social history. In Hew Strachan's authoritative and readable history these fresh perspectives are incorporated with the military and strategic narrative. The result is an account that breaks the bounds of national preoccupations to become both global and comparative. To Arms, the first of three volumes in this magisterial study, examines not only the causes of the war and its opening clashes on land and sea, but also the ideas that underpinned it, and the motivations of the people who supported it. It provides full and pioneering accounts of the war's finances, of the war in Africa, and of the Central Powers' bid to widen the war outside Europe.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• The origins of the war
• willingly to war
• the Western Front in 1914
• the Eastern Front in 1914
• the war in Northern waters 1914-15
• war in the Pacific
• the dark continent - colonial conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Turkey's entry
• Germany's global strategy
• financing the war
• industrial mobilization.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

• List of Maps
• Introduction
• 1. The Origins of the War
• 2. Willingly to War
• 3. The Western Front in 1914
• 4. The Eastern Front in 1914
• 5. The War in Northern Waters 1914-1915
• 6. The War in the Pacific
• 7. The Dark Continent: Colonial Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa
• 8. Turkey's Entry
• 9. Germany's Global Strategy
• 10. Financing the War
• 11. Industrial Mobilization
• Conclusion: The Ideas of 1914
• Bibliography
• Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

This is the first truly definitive history of the First World War, the war that has done most to shape the twentieth century. The first generation of its historians had access to only a limited range of sources, and their focus was primarily on military events. More recent approaches have embraced cultural, diplomatic, economic, and social history. In Hew Strachan's authoritative and readable history these fresh perspectives are incorporated with the miltary and strategic narrative. The result is an account that breaks the bounds of national preoccupations to become both global and comparative. To Arms, the first of three volumes in this magisterial study, examines not only the causes of the war and its opening clashes on land and sea, but also the ideas that underpinned it, and the motivations of the people who supported it. It provides full and pioneering accounts of the war's finances, of the war in Africa, and of the Central Powers' bid to widen the war outside Europe.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

The British army, unlike some other armies, has never staged a coup d'etat. As a result it has prided itself on its ready subordination to parliamentary government, portraying its nature as essentially apolitical. The reality is very different. Armies are inherently political entities, embedded in the fabric of the state, and intimately involved in the formation and implementation of policy. Hew Strachan examines the history of the British Army since 1660 and shows that it is no exception. The behaviour of many of its most illustrious commanders, including Marlborough, Wellington, Wolseley, and Roberts, as well of more recent figures like Henry Wilson, William Robertson, and Gerald Templer, gives the lie to any strict demarcation between military and political spheres of responsibility. The Politics of the British Army is a work of history with profound contemporary relevance. For if the British army were to become genuinely apolitical - to practise what it preaches - it would be a less effective contributor to the management of Britain's defence.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

The British army, unlike some other armies, has never staged a coup d'etat. As a result it has prided itself on its ready subordination to parliamentary government, portraying its nature as essentially apolitical. The reality is very different. Armies are inherently political entities, embedded in the fabric of the state, and intimately involved in the formation and implementation of policy. Hew Strachan examines the history of the British Army since 1660 and shows that it is no exception. The behaviour of many of its most illustrious commanders, including Marlborough, Wellington, Wolseley, an.

In 1815 the British army stood at a peak in its history: under Wellington it had taken part in the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. Yet in 1854, when next engaged in war against a European enemy, its performance was at best mediocre and at worst disastrous. For the press at the time, as for historians since, the Crimean War revealed an incompetent, antiquated army, rusty after forty years of complacent neglect. From Waterloo to Balaclava shows such oversimplification to be false. In addition to absorbing the lessons of the Napoleonic Wars, the army had to contend with recurrent campaigns throughout the Empire, and its tactics and doctrine were the subject of constant debate. Under the impact of industrialisation, the evolution of military technology proceeded apace, and the range and accuracy of infantry fire (and, potentially, artillery) increased at least fourfold. These three influences - the Napoleonic Wars, colonial campaigning, and new weaponry - all contributed to an evolution of tactics which pointed forwards to 1914 as much as backwards to 1815.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

"The First World War required the mobilisation of entire societies, regardless of age or gender. The phrase 'home front' was itself a product of the war with parts of Britain literally a war front, coming under enemy attack from the sea and increasingly the air. However, the home front also conveyed the war's impact on almost every aspect of British life, economic, social and domestic. In the fullest account to-date, leading historians show how the war blurred the division between what was military and not, and how it made many conscious of their national identities for the first time. They reveal how its impact changed Britain for ever, transforming the monarchy, promoting systematic cabinet government, and prompting state intervention in a country which prided itself on its liberalism and its support for free trade. In many respects we still live with the consequences"-- Provided by publisher

• Introduction Hew Strachan
• 1. The United Kingdom in 1914 Catriona Pennell
• Part I. Government: 2. The monarchy Heather Jones
• 3. The growth of cabinet government George Peden
• 4. The defence of the realm act G. R. Rubin
• 5. Local Government: The experience of Essex Stuart Hallifax
• 6. The clergy and cultural mobilisation Edward Madigan
• Part II. Resources: 7. Iron and steel Peter Claughton
• 8. Timber Rob Newman
• 9. Fishing Robb Robinson
• 10. Agriculture Keith Grieves
• 11. Coal David Howell
• 12. Finance Jonathan Boff
• Part III. People: 13. Labour, the labour party and the trades unions Chris Wrigley
• 14. Enlistment and conscription Ian Beckett
• 15. Charities Peter Grant
• 16. Refugees Pierre Purseigle
• 17. Prisoners of war and internees Panikos Panayi
• Part IV. Production: 18. Munitions Gerard Charmley
• 19. Clothing and uniforms Krisztina Robert
• 20. Shipbuilding and ship repair Hugh Murphy
• 21. Railways Christopher Phillips
• 22. Seaborne trade and merchant shipping Martin Wilcox and David J. Starkey
• 23. Food Mary Elisabeth Cox
• Part V. Social Impacts: 24. Press and propaganda David Monger
• 25. Pacifism Martin Ceadel
• 26. Homes and families Maggie Andrews
• 27. Crime and policing Louise A. Jackson
• 28. Children Rosie Kennedy
• 29. The home front as war front Susan R. Grayzel
• 30. The United Kingdom in 1919 Martin Daunton.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

The First World War required the mobilisation of entire societies, regardless of age or gender. The phrase 'home front' was itself a product of the war with parts of Britain literally a war front, coming under enemy attack from the sea and increasingly the air. However, the home front also conveyed the war's impact on almost every aspect of British life, economic, social and domestic. In the fullest account to-date, leading historians show how the war blurred the division between what was military and not, and how it made many conscious of their national identities for the first time. They reveal how its impact changed Britain for ever, transforming the monarchy, promoting systematic cabinet government, and prompting state intervention in a country which prided itself on its liberalism and its support for free trade. In many respects we still live with the consequences.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Foreword by Sir Hew Strachan Acknowledgements List of Tables List of Illustrations Author's Note: On Words Introduction
• Chapter 1: Oil and the Great Game
• Chapter 2: Petroleum and Pipeline Politics
• Chapter 3: The Last Crusade in the Middle East
• Chapter 4: The Black Blood of Victory
• Chapter 5: The Deployment of Dunsterforce
• Chapter 6: Basra to Baghdad to Baku
• Chapter 7: The Battle for Baku
• Chapter 8: Peace and Petroleum
• Chapter 9: Oil and the New Great Game Conclusion Epilogue Appendix: Petroleum Situation in the British Empire, Admiral Sir Edmond J.W. Slade, 29 July 1918. Bibliography Endnotes Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Oil is the source of wealth and economic opportunity. Oil is also the root source of global conflict, toxicity and economic disparity. When did oil become such a powerful commodity-during, and in the immediate aftermath of, the First World War. In his groundbreaking book The First World Oil War, Timothy C. Winegard argues that beginning with the First World War, oil became the preeminent commodity to safeguard national security and promote domestic prosperity. For the first time in history, territory was specifically conquered to possess oil fields and resources; vital cogs in the continuation of the industrialized warfare of the Twentieth Century. This original and pioneering study analyzes the evolution of oil as a catalyst for both war and diplomacy, and connects the events of the First World War to contemporary petroleum geo-politics and international aggression.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

Why did Asquith take Britain to war in 1914? What did educated young men believe their role should be? What was it like to fly over the Somme battlefield? How could a trench on the front line be 'the safest place'? These compelling eye-witness accounts convey what it was really like to experience the first two years of the war up until the fall of Asquith's government, without the benefit of hindsight or the accumulated wisdom of a hundred years of discussion and writing. Using the rich manuscript resources of the Bodleian Libraries, the book features key extracts from letters and diaries of members of the Cabinet, academic and literary figures, student soldiers and a village rector. The letters of politicians reveal the strain of war leadership and throw light on the downfall of Asquith in 1916, while the experiences of the young Harold Macmillan in the trenches, vividly described in letters home, marked the beginning of his road to Downing Street. It was forbidden to record Cabinet discussions, but Lewis Harcourt's unauthorised diary provides a window on Asquith's government, complete with character sketches of some of the leading players, including Winston Churchill. Meanwhile, in one Essex village, the local rector compiled a diary to record the impact of war on his community. These fascinating contemporary papers paint a highly personal and immediate picture of the war as it happened. Fear, anger, death and sorrow are always present, but so too are idealism, excitement, humour, boredom and even beauty.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Introduction
• 1. The Origins of the War
• 2. The Strategy of the Central Powers, 1914-1917
• 3. Manoeuvre Warfare: The Eastern and Western Fronts, 1914-1915
• 4. The Strategy of the Entente Powers, 1914-1917
• 5. The Balkans, 1914-1918
• 6. Turkey's War
• 7. The War in Africa
• 8. The War at Sea
• 9. Economic Warfare
• 10. Economic Mobilization: Money, Munitions, Machines
• 11. The Role of Women in War
• 12. The Challenge to Liberalism: The Politics of the Home Fronts
• 13. Eastern Front and Western Front, 1916-1917
• 14. Mutinies and Military Morale
• 15. War Aims and Peace Negotiations
• 16. Propaganda and the Mobilization of Consent
• 17. Socialism, Peace, and Revolution, 1917-1918
• 18. The Entry of the USA into the War and its Effects
• 19. The German Victories, 1917-1918
• 20. The War in the Air
• 21. The Allied Victories, 1918
• 22. The Peace Settlement
• 23. No End to War
• 24. Memory and the Great War
• Further Reading
• Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

The First World War, now a century ago, still shapes the world in which we live, and its legacy lives on, in poetry, in prose, in collective memory and political culture. By the time the war ended in 1918, millions lay dead. Three major empires lay shattered by defeat, those of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottomans. A fourth, Russia, was in the throes of a revolution that helped define the rest of the twentieth century. The Oxford History of the First World War brings together in one volume many of the most distinguished historians of the conflict, in an account that matches the scale of the events. From its causes to its consequences, from the Western Front to the Eastern, from the strategy of the politicians to the tactics of the generals, they chart the course of the war and assess its profound political and human consequences. Chapters on economic mobilization, the impact on women, the role of propaganda, and the rise of socialism establish the wider context of the fighting at sea and in the air, and which ranged on land from the trenches of Flanders to the mountains of the Balkans and the deserts of the Middle East. First published for the 90th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, this highly illustrated revised edition contains significant new material to mark the 100th anniversary of the war's outbreak.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)