David Stevenson (1) (1954–)

This was my first time reading, what I personally considered for me, one of those 'dense history books'. Overall I mostly enjoyed it and learnt a fair bit on not just World War One but war, politics and geopolitics more generally. The book is quite detailed and at least with my edition, of the 600 pages, the last 100 are all citations. A boon for those wanting to dig deeper and a relief for those such as myself writing off one sixth of the book as already finished - "we're half-way there!"

From Sheikh Yasir Qadhi's lecture on the history of the modern Middle East, he drives the point that WW1 is essential to understanding the present day condition of the region, more so than even WW2. This is chiefly in regards to the breaking up of the Ottoman Empire - one of the Central Powers belligerents. However of all the nations involved, the book focuses the least on it. And by a fair margin too. I'm unsure whether it was a fault of the book or indeed, of all the belligerents involved, it played a more periphery role within the war.

The second disappointment for me was how in the first third of the book it felt like a major slog to push through all the stream of events on the battlefield. My knowledge of European geography is quite poor to be fair and adding a second bookmark to the initial maps to flick back and forth did help somewhat. But it was still frustrating and caused me to procrastinate plenty with the reading. The good news is, once that's done, Stevenson indulges you with plenty of economical, political, geopolitical and social analyses. He even discusses the legacy and historical conceptions of the war towards the end, especially in relation to WW2. But still, a part of me wonders if I'd have had a better time initially if the first third wasn't simply an avalanche of battleground details and strategizing. Perhaps he could've laid it out in a more balanced fashion.

Still, the book was definitely a rewarding experience. I feel more confident in reading more of the genre and post WW1 history due to gaining a wide ranging impression of how the major European and world powers worked then, the context of how such a war could have unfolded and its continuing legacy.

After spending almost three months on this, I'd now like a more personal account, from the actual soldiers at the trenches (something missing from Stevenson) as well as the in depth account of the formation of the modern Middle East I was looking for earlier.

I have All Quiet on the Western Front for the former and A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and The Creation of the Modern Middle East for the latter. I'd appreciate any additional recommendations.
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Stevenson's "With Our Backs to the Wall" had impressed me as much as any book on the Great War has, so I approached this volume with a great deal of anticipation. In the end though I'm not quite as impressed; possibly due to Stevenson taking on a harder problem. As opposed to examining how World War I ground to a halt when it did, the question here is why did the war grind on when it was clear that the damage being done to the respective societies did not merit any possible gains. Stevenson has several suggestions here. One, just as the pre-1914 treaty system drew all the major players into the conflict, the alliance system of 1917 was a structure that kept all participants inline, at least until collapse did come. Two, in 1917, the respective powers could imagine other options for themselves, with the big choice being Germany making the bet that unrestricted submarine warfare would lead to success before an American contribution could make a difference. Three, even in depths of the greatest war the world had yet seen, many of the participants could imagine yet another round of great power struggle, and wanted to put themselves in a position to win the future conflict; Berlin's version of a just outcome remains breathtaking in its lack of realism.… (more)

1917: War, Peace, and Revolution by David Stevenson is the history of a single year of World War I. Stevenson studied for his undergraduate degree at the University of Cambridge, before receiving a Ph.D. from the same university. He became a Lecturer at the London School of Economics in 1982. In 1998, he was appointed Professor of International History. Between 2004 and 2005, he also received a Leverhulme Research Fellowship “for research on supply and logistics in 1914-1918”

The war had been fought to a stalemate for the last two and a half years. Its toll was growing on the population of Europe. England was near bankruptcy and running low on food. It required a great deal of imported food as well as oil to fuel its fleet. Germany was going through its turnip winter. The Russian population was suffering more than ever — food shortages, loss of life on the front, and a vodka ban. France was mostly self-sufficient in foodstuff, but it was being bled white. Germany remained effectively blockaded. It, in turn, tried to blockade England with unrestricted submarine warfare.

1917 was a year of risks and taking chances hoping for a breakthrough that would finally turn the tide of the war. England had turned to the United States supported convoys. Germany stepped up its submarine warfare knowing that it would bring the United States into the war. Germany underestimated US strength and overestimated its advantages of Russia leaving the war and its own submarines. Germany’s main ally the Austrian-Hungarian Empire was falling apart quickly and proving to be ineffective. England’s large navy remained essentially out of the war and its army was still small. France was bearing the burden of being the main army for the allies although the British commonwealths were fighting bravely.

Peace advances from the Vatican and Wilson were rejected by each side neither wanting to back down. There was the hope and belief that each side was nearing its breaking point and it was just a matter of time and lives before victory would be claimed. Russia’s exit from the war created a race to bring the US into the war before the German’s could transfer resources. In a further overestimation, Russia left the war giving Germany favorable terms because Russia thought the rest of Europe would fall into revolution shortly and differences from the hasty peace would be corrected with a communist Germany and Europe.

What makes this book on World War I special is that Steveson does not only concentrate on the Western Front. Germany’s invasion of Italy and Japan’s attack on German colonies and ships are covered. England’s request to Japan was accepted and German assets in China were attacked and Japan began to set itself up as a colonizing power in China. India is discussed as well as the British plan for a Jewish Homeland. It was during this year that Latin American countries joined the allies, mostly in word over deeds. Greece, Siam, and China would also join the allies in 1917. The European war became a world war.

1917 is a well-written history that goes deeper into World War I than most histories since it concentrates on a single year, although a pivotal year. 1917 set the stage for the war’s end and the uneasy peace to follow. It examines the many misconceptions that the warring countries held to and the belief that a decisive victory could be won.… (more)