Empire And Revolution: A Socialist History of the First World War

It has been claimed that WW1 was inevitable. Before all the industrially developed European nations needed a distraction to divert the attention of the swarming masses. The example of the French Republic and the Guillotine were always to be considered against the seething mass of the working classes.A short war that would be all over by Christmas was an ideal diversion and military reputations coud be made. It didn't work and the war took on a life of its own.This book is as close to the real feelings and attitudes of the man at the bottom of the military and is to be highly recommended for that reason.

This is the best book I have ever read on the First World War. It not only cuts through all the obfuscating detail of the run up to the war's outbreak to make it absolutely clear that a major conflict was the inevitable consequence of capitalist competition, it also details the extensive opposition to the war among working class communities in all the countries involved. Most of the content of this book is entirely airbrushed out of the narratives of the court historians for very obvious reasons. And because our economic system is largely unchanged, it offers a very important perspective on the possibility of further conflict between US/Europe and Russia/China.

excellent read

good

I found this book somewhat disappointing. I was expecting to uncover something hidden, but didn’t.