Ring of Fire: A New History of the World at War: 1914

In this sweeping account, historians Churchill (George V) and Eberholst recap the opening weeks of WWI, a dramatic season when epic battles raged on every front. Among them were the Battle of the Frontiers, in which German armies swept across northern France, and the Battle of Galicia in Poland, in which a million Russian soldiers routed a million Austro-Hungarians. Drawing on reams of non-Anglophone records, the authors focus on the war’s impact on European civilians as well as its global reach. They evocatively portray the conflicting strains of “hysterical” patriotism and somber foreboding in public opinion as well as among government officials (several diplomats suffered mental breakdowns); the chaotic mobilization of civilian reserves and conscripts, including those from Europe’s colonies, who entered the military with zeal, dread, and a host of ulterior motives (many Australians saw it as a free ticket to Europe; many Africans signed up to avoid famine or make money, and understood that the war was being fought by the French “to keep us... and [by] the Germans to have us. We shouldn’t look for another explanation”); and the widespread displacement and massacres of civilians. The result is an intense exploration of the emotional and intellectual landscape of the war’s outbreak that brings complexity and depth to the first truly international conflict. (Aug.)