The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914–1918

Description

The Great War toppled four empires, cost the world 24 million dead, and sowed the seeds of another worldwide conflict 20 years later. This is the only book in the English language to offer comprehensive coverage of how Germany and Austria-Hungary, two of the key belligerents, conducted the war and what defeat meant to them. This new edition has been thoroughly updated throughout, including new developments in the historiography and, in particular, addressing new work on the cultural history of the war. This edition also includes: The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary, 1914–1918 offers an authoritative and well-researched survey of the role of the Central powers that will be an invaluable text for all those studying the First World War and the development of modern warfare. Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of Maps Series Editor’s ­Preface Acknowledgements Names, Places and Dates Introduction Notes Chapter 1 Origins: ‘Now or Never’ Vienna: War as salvation Berlin: The ‘calculated risk’ The ‘leap into the dark’ Questionable allies: Britain and Italy The ‘mood of 1914’ Notes Chapter 2 The plans of war Almost allies: Conrad and Moltke to 1914 Conrad von Hötzendorf: War at any price Moltke: The march to the Marne Plan 19: The Russian ‘steamroller’ Plan XVII: À Berlin Britain: Continental commitment? Notes Chapter 3 The great gamble, 1914 ‘This war is great and wonderful’ Tannenberg: Reality and myth Conrad’s war The Battle of the Marne The last hurrah Notes Chapter 4 Towards industrialized war, 1915 The German command system implodes Wars of ‘limited means’ The Italian ‘snake’ ‘The bones of a Pomeranian grenadier’ Deadlock: The western front Notes Chapter 5 Dual defeats: From the Meuse to the Siret, 1916 Verdun: ‘The heart of France’ The Somme: ‘Battles of material’ Lutsk: ‘Lack of luck’ The Romanian detour Notes Chapter 6 The long-war reality, 1915–16 Austria-Hungary: On the brink Of men and machines: The third OHL ‘Total war’: Reality and myth Notes Chapter 7 Survival Hunger: Austria-Hungary Beleaguered fortress: Germany Death, disease and doctors The politics of ‘total’ war Notes Chapter 8 A sea change, 1917 U-boat warfare: Playing va banque The Nivelle offensive: À Berlin once more Triumph in the east Caporetto: A cosmetic victory Notes Chapter 9 The last levy, 1917–18 The hollow ally Strikes and mutinies The k.u.k. army disintegrates Germany: Mutinies, strikes and megalomania Notes Chapter 10 Operation Michael: The ‘last card’ Tactical virtuosity The battle The turning point Notes Chapter 11 Defeat, 1918–19 Finis austriae Finis prussiae Notes Bibliography Archival sources Official documents Memoirs, diaries, private papers Books Chapters in books Articles Dissertations Index