First published 1998
In 1914, a continental conflict spirals into global catastrophe. Niall Ferguson's "The Pity of War" explodes the conventional wisdom, arguing that Britain's reckless declaration of war needlessly transformed a regional crisis into a world-shattering conflagration. As the fighting rages on, Ferguson reveals how Germany's military prowess proved no match for Britain's economic blunders and strategic ineptitude - factors that forced America's hand and forever altered the global balance of power. Through vivid, myth-shattering chapters, Ferguson confronts the war's most haunting questions: Why did the war start? Why did it continue? And why, despite the Germans' shocking efficiency on the battlefield, did they ultimately face defeat?
Genres: history, 20th-century, non-fiction, military-history, world-war-i, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Great Britain, Grande-Bretagne
Period: 20th century, 20e siècle, 1914-1918
672 pages · Hardcover · Allen Lane The Penguin Press