At the end of the First World War the victors decided to punish the aggressors and while doing so to establish free, democratic governments of ethnic groups which would, supposedly, have no reason to go to war. A League of Nations was established with the main aim of confronting potential aggressors with overwhelming force, and with the secondary aim of eradicating possible causes of war such as injustice and economic hardship. But it failed. Hundreds of books have been written about various aspects of the First World War: official and unofficial histories, specialist books in medicine, artillery, logistics, etc., personal reminiscences, and novels which were often autobiographical. Today, with hindsight, a hundred years on, we can see the achievements and mistakes of the time. Many conflicts of the present may be traced to origins in the 1919 peace settlements: it is, of course, easy to be wise after the event. With the mass of material available, the writer and reader of today may see the war in perspective and form judgements which were previously impossible. In this chronological narrative Philip Warner, a former senior lecturer at Britain’s world famous Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, once more cuts to the heart of the matter with his searing analysis as he unfolds the main events, supporting it with a look at women in their new roles and the literature the war provoked. Perhaps the last word, the final summary, the ultimate definitive view can never be made, but we are now in a better position to see the war in its proper perspective than any of our predecessors have been.
