1917

Reviews / Votes

1917 is a triumph by a masterly historian, and one of the most important books to have been published during the centenary years of the First World War. * Gary Sheffield, BBC History Magazine * 1917 will be of great interest to those readers who wish to better understand the broader implications of strategic and diplomatic decisions during the penultimate year of the conflict. It is in that field that Stevenson is an unrivalled master and his comprehensively researched book on 1917 will be welcomed by many. * Robert Gerwarth, Literary Review * Masterful ... this is a fascinating study of one of the most tumultuous years of the 20th century. * All About History * A welcome addition to the literature that challenges the all-too-safe and pernicious stereotypes of the history of the First World War that unfortunately still dominate popular culture. * Peter Morgan, Military History Magazine * 1917 is a sound, learned work of breadth and insight, a study of the year 1917 as a microcosm of the war itself. * Wm. Roger Louis, Wall Street Journal * Stevenson's comprehensively researched and perceptively reasoned analysis stands apart from similar histories by showing that the conflict's outcome was determined not through blind impersonal forces but through deliberate will. * Publishers Weekly, Starred Review * 1917: War, Peace, and Revolution represents a thoughtful synthesis of relevant secondary literature and published primary and archival sources. Its narrative is enriched by an invaluable bibliography, maps and photographs spread throughout the text, and helpful lists of abbreviations and principal personalities. It is a seminal work that will engage and inform students, scholars, and general readers alike. * Gregory J. Dehler, Michigan War Studies Review * David Stevenson's book is a cool and original account of the heat of war in 1917. It surpasses previous studies in terms of its global range and its archival depth. Here is a history of decision-making by the sleepwalkers who kept on their murky path into war three years after its outbreak, and of those few - including Lenin - who found a way out of the slaughterhouse. Stevenson's is history as tragedy, with hubris bringing down those who thought they could master the destructive forces of the Great War. * Jay Winter, Yale University * The European nations had dug themselves by 1917 into a war trap seemingly without exit - this is the starting point of David Stevenson's new book. The events of 1917, war, peace, and revolution, the struggle to get out of the war, get here a thorough reassessment. The book is an example for the combination of competent analysis with a gripping narrative and clear judgement. * Holger Afflerbach, University of Leeds *