1916
A Global History
Published on 8. October 2015
Book
Hardback
448 pages
978-1-4088-3430-5 (ISBN)
Description
The mud-filled, blood-soaked trenches of the Low Countries and North-Eastern Europe were essential battlegrounds during the First World War, but the war reached many other corners of the globe, and events elsewhere significantly affected its course.
Covering the twelve months of 1916, eminent historian Keith Jeffery uses twelve moments from a range of locations and shows how they reverberated around the world. As well as discussing better-known battles such as Gallipoli, Verdun and the Somme, Jeffery examines Dublin, for the Easter Rising, East Africa, the Italian front, Central Asia and Russia, where the killing of Rasputin exposed the internal political weakness of the country's empire. And, in charting a wide range of wartime experience, he studies the 'intelligence war', naval engagements at Jutland and elsewhere, as well as the political consequences that ensued from the momentous US presidential election.
Using an extraordinary range of military, social and cultural sources, and relating the individual experiences on the ground to wider developments, these are the stories lost to history, the conflicts that spread beyond the sphere of Europe and the moments that transformed the war.
Covering the twelve months of 1916, eminent historian Keith Jeffery uses twelve moments from a range of locations and shows how they reverberated around the world. As well as discussing better-known battles such as Gallipoli, Verdun and the Somme, Jeffery examines Dublin, for the Easter Rising, East Africa, the Italian front, Central Asia and Russia, where the killing of Rasputin exposed the internal political weakness of the country's empire. And, in charting a wide range of wartime experience, he studies the 'intelligence war', naval engagements at Jutland and elsewhere, as well as the political consequences that ensued from the momentous US presidential election.
Using an extraordinary range of military, social and cultural sources, and relating the individual experiences on the ground to wider developments, these are the stories lost to history, the conflicts that spread beyond the sphere of Europe and the moments that transformed the war.
Reviews / Votes
Jeffery gives the war a human face by focusing on the experience of individuals ... An absorbing and multi-layered analysis, one of the most impressive books on the First World War to have appeared in the centenary period * Times Literary Supplement * It is a global history, and its purpose is partly to remind us, through the events of this pivotal year, that the Great War was a world war ... Jeffery is particularly good at deploying anecdote to illustrate and give new insights into aspects of the war -- Simon Heffer * Literary Review * Commendable * <i> Times Higher Educational </i> * A remarkable panorama ... The writing is excellent ... No doubt 2016 will be a long year of anniversaries ... What better companion on this journey than Mr. Jeffery's global history? * Wall Street Journal * Richly detailed, and always fascinating.... A brilliant compendium of everything-you-didn't-know-about World War I, which, for many readers, will be a great deal * <i> Kirkus </i> * Jeffery presents a creative and remarkable approach to history; his passion for unearthing previously overshadowed events shines. Historians and history buffs will appreciate the humanistic touch the author portrays so well * Library Journal *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
2 x 8 pp B&W plates
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
Weight
819 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4088-3430-5 (9781408834305)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2015
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
€12.49
Available for download
Person
Keith Jeffery is Professor of British History at Queen's University, Belfast, and a Member of the Royal Irish Academy. In 1998, he was the Lees Knowles Lecturer in Military Science at Trinity College, Cambridge, and in 2003-4, Parnell Fellow in Irish Studies at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He is the author of fourteen previous books, including MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909-1949. Keith Jeffery lives in Northern Ireland.