Would WWI still have happened....?

• Dec 9, 2008

• #21

renrich

Chief Master Sergeant

3,882

66

Jan 19, 2007

Montrose, Colorado

"Dreadnought" is, IMO, the best book about the origins of WW1. Tim, I have read "Guns of August, " and "Castles"(have it in my library) and "Dreadnought," if you can get through it, has much more background than the other books.

 

• Dec 9, 2008

• #22

timshatz

Chief Master Sergeant

3,912

25

Mar 29, 2006

Phila, Pa

Renrich, it might be Dreadnought I was thinking of and not Castles of Steel. Both by the same author and excellent books. Get them confused sometimes.

 

• Dec 9, 2008

• #23

renrich

Chief Master Sergeant

3,882

66

Jan 19, 2007

Montrose, Colorado

Tim, I agree. Because Castles is about the naval war, it is one of my favorite books. Much easier read than Dreadnought where I get all the names of the various royalty mixed up. Amazing how many of them were related ny blood.

 

• Dec 11, 2008

• #24

B

BombTaxi

Tech Sergeant

1,802

10

Nov 27, 2004

Barnsley, S. Yorks, UK

renrich said:

Tim, I agree. Because Castles is about the naval war, it is one of my favorite books. Much easier read than Dreadnought where I get all the names of the various royalty mixed up. Amazing how many of them were related ny blood.

Click to expand...

Dead on about Massie's work, both fantastic pieces of history. Ren, ALL of the German, Russian and British royal families were blood relations - that is one of the things that brings home how utterly futile and stupid the war was. It was also a key factor in the downfall of two of those monarchies - the people wanted to decide their own destinies after the war, rather than leave them in the hands of a ruling clique that spanned Europe.