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World War I: A Short History was written by Michael Lyons at a time thought by many to be the end of history: 1993. As such, his work proves to flow well and be carefully analytic, lacking the un-necessary bravado and patriotism to be expected of post-911 history books. A professor of history who earned his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1969, Lyons has served on the faculty of North Dakota State University for 17 years, managing to develop a careful understanding of the two chief conflicts of the 20th century while recounting their specifics while head of the History Department. This position he maintained until 1989, when his first book, World War II: A Short History won him critical acclaim. After his retirement in 1993, the State Board of Higher Education named him Professor Emeritus. Although his repertoire is limited to these two books, they are well regarded among scholars for their readability and clarity.
In World War I: A Short History, the author seeks to give us an understanding of the nature of the conflict, starting with the socio-economic conditions, foreign policy atmosphere and general sensibilities of the continental leaders that started the Great War. From there he goes on to describe the war itself, from the trenches to American involvement to the effect of the conflict on communist revolutions in eastern Europe. He...
He manages to provide a concise survey and is careful not to mire himself in a prolonged, fruitless struggle for the reader's attention.
In the 1999 addition, Lyons appeals to his visceral audience by adding a section that conveyed the appalling conditions facing soldiers at the front, which included the seemingly endless barrage of artillery and fatal offences across no-man's land that resulted in millions of deaths. He gives a graphic account of the rats, lice, and death-stench that permeated the front line from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier.
Lyons spares us the History Channel-esque literary cinematography typical of Stephen Ambrose and other historians geared to the "When We Were Soldiers" demographic of old American couch potatoes who fought in the European theater: his audience is that of students who wish to explore the war from an objective perspective. In this respect, Lyons does not fail us: his is a synthesis of interpretations; while acknowledging well-documented preconceptions held during the war (i.e. this conflict…
Diversity -- with the exception of homophobia -- was beginning to be commonly accepted and praised. Technology -- such as the use of DNA in criminology and the introduction of the PC -- was becoming more prominent in the lives of everyday Americans. In the Cold War, President Gorbachev asked for openness and economic freedom, while President Reagan asked him to tear down the Berlin Wall, which he did.
Cornlius Ryan, one of the finest writers of the history of World War II, was born in Dublin in 192. He worked as a correspondent from 1941 to 1945 and covered stories of the battles in Europe for Reuters and the London Daily Telegraph and in the final months of the Pacific campaign. The first book written, published in 1959, was The Longest Day, that sold four million copies in
The strike at Heligoland Bight was not intended to seriously hurt the German fleet. Rather, it was intended to distract Germany from the landing of marines at Ostend in Belgium. Catching the German fleet completely by surprise in its own port, German light cruisers engaged the Royal Navy without proper cover. The Germans lost 3 light cruisers and a destroyer, as well as more than 1,000 men. In great
National debt and veterans benefits for example drove a permanent increase in taxes, although these were not as high as during the war. The country's international economic position was also permanently affected. Its pre-war status as a debtor country was permanently changed to a net creditor, in the order of $6.4billion. Also, the power as financial world leader shifted from London and the Bank of England to New York,
World War Analysis WWI analysis examining the significance and impact of WWI on U.S. history In the early 20th Century, a general fear existed that a huge war would break out due to the circumstances existing at that time and therefore every small incident was considered deadly. However the triggering factor was the assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand in June 1914 resulting in World War I (WWI) or the Great War. WWI
Not only did a consumer need the money to make their purchase, they needed government approval in the form of ration stamps and cards. This severe restriction on the economic freedom of American citizens was tolerated due to the dire nature of the conflict. Another change in American society was less noticeable, but every bit as restrictive. Americans became the victims of a constant stream of propaganda ranging from