The War That Ended Peace

The Road to 1914

De: Margaret MacMillan

Narrado por: Richard Burnip

From the best-selling and award-winning author of Paris 1919 comes a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, a fascinating portrait of Europe from 1900 up to the outbreak of World War I.

The century since the end of the Napoleonic wars had been the most peaceful era Europe had known since the fall of the Roman Empire. In the first years of the twentieth century, Europe believed it was marching to a golden, happy, and prosperous future. But instead, complex personalities and rivalries, colonialism and ethnic nationalisms, and shifting alliances helped to bring about the failure of the long peace and the outbreak of a war that transformed Europe and the world.

The War That Ended Peace brings vividly to life the military leaders, politicians, diplomats, bankers, and the extended, interrelated family of crowned heads across Europe who failed to stop the descent into war: in Germany, the mercurial Kaiser Wilhelm II and the chief of the German general staff, Von Moltke the Younger; in Austria-Hungary, Emperor Franz Joseph, a man who tried, through sheer hard work, to stave off the coming chaos in his empire; in Russia, Tsar Nicholas II and his wife; in Britain, King Edward VII, Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, and British admiral Jacky Fisher, the fierce advocate of naval reform who entered into the arms race with Germany that pushed the continent toward confrontation on land and sea.

There are the would-be peacemakers as well, among them prophets of the horrors of future wars whose warnings went unheeded: Alfred Nobel, who donated his fortune to the cause of international understanding, and Bertha von Suttner, a writer and activist who was the first woman awarded Nobel’s new Peace Prize. Here too we meet the urbane and cosmopolitan Count Harry Kessler, who noticed many of the early signs that something was stirring in Europe; the young Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty and a rising figure in British politics; Madame Caillaux, who shot a man who might have been a force for peace; and more. With indelible portraits, MacMillan shows how the fateful decisions of a few powerful people changed the course of history.

Taut, suspenseful, and impossible to put down, The War That Ended Peace is also a wise cautionary reminder of how wars happen in spite of the near-universal desire to keep the peace. Destined to become a classic in the tradition of Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August, The War That Ended Peace enriches our understanding of one of the defining periods and events of the twentieth century.

©2013 Margaret Macmillan (P)2013 Random House

Reseñas de la Crítica

“[A] richly textured narrative about World War I . . . addressing the war’s build-up . . . MacMillan tells this familiar story with panache. A major contribution, however, is her presentation of its subtext, as Europe’s claims to be the world’s most advanced civilization ‘were being challenged from without and undermined from within.’ . . . MacMillan eloquently shows that ‘turning out the lights’ was not inevitable, but a consequence of years of decisions and reactions: a slow-motion train wreck few wanted but none could avoid.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“ The War That Ended Peace tells the story of how intelligent, well-meaning leaders guided their nations into catastrophe. These epic events, brilliantly described by one of our era’s most talented historians, warn of the dangers that arise when we fail to anticipate the consequences of our actions. This is one of the finest books I have ever read on the causes of World War I." (Madeleine Albright, former secretary of state)

Phenomenal WW1 Overview

I loved seeing the parallels to today's world. I'll definitely be rereading. I particularly appreciated the parts about Lord Salisbury. Super fascinating and has helped me have a better understanding of WW1

Excellent review of background and causes of WWI

Would you listen to The War That Ended Peace again? Why?

Yes. Ms. MacMillan is a marvelous historian and this book does not disappoint. Moreover, the narrator is excellent. A real pleasure to listen to.

What about Richard Burnip’s performance did you like?

Just all around excellent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

overwhelming information

incredible detail, but so much and so many people and places it becomes hard to follow. but you can get the idea and still learn a lot especially about overarching themes

Extremely comprehensive

My interest ran out before the book did. I did manage to finish, but it took self discipline.

One of the finest, most well-written history books

Would you listen to The War That Ended Peace again? Why?

Yes. There is so much information and it is so well presented that I undoubtedly will listen to it again. (Actually, I will read it since I also bought the hardcopy.)

What other book might you compare The War That Ended Peace to and why?

I would compare it favorably to August 1914. Both concern WW1 and both are by excellent writers. This one is much broader and has more of a philosophic and historic goal. August 1914 is more simply narrative, it tells what happened. This tries to get at why it happened.

Which scene was your favorite?

N/A

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It impressed on me again (as though I am not reminded of it every single day listening to and reading the news) that our leaders are human -- and sometimes leave their humanity behind and become insane or simply stupid.

Any additional comments?

One thing I especially appreciated about this book as an audio book was that the author is constantly reminding the lister of who any given person is and where they fit into the story. This is good for reading but for an audio book, in which one cannot easily flip back 10 pages, it is essential. When Bethman-Hollweg shows up, the author reminds you that he was the Chancellor of Germany. I found this enormously helpful. (In contrast, the book Heretic Queen has just as many characters but one was almost never reminded who they were after their first appearance.)This was simply a wonderful history book, informative and very, very thoughtful.

Adds dimension to the major players

Any additional comments?

The author goes to great lengths to add context to the events and major players leading up to WWI. This is done by creating a very compelling narrative, taking the time to explain those major players in terms of their background, family life, economic and cultural times of their country, etc. However, I did roll my eyes a few times when the author editorialized about modern events in a very one-dimensional manner, for example, referring to the 'right-wing" West European politicians who want to keep Eastern Europeans out of their countries and American Republicans who want to do the same to Mexicans coming over the southern border of the U.S. Not placing these events in a larger economic and cultural context, as was done with the players in the lead up to WWI, was unfair and took away from those few places in an otherwise good book.

We Are Right

The acronym for WAR is of course We Are Right. What kind of hegemony one lives in determines their ultimate fate.

So many nations trying to be right that no one is wrong. In the end a lot of young men, women and civilians die.

Social Darwinism is a sin and always leads to war.

Very well written and read no one reads better than the English. It’s worth the time but try not to be afraid because you can see where we are headed again I am afraid.

How the world became what it is today.

Would you listen to The War That Ended Peace again? Why?

Yes, there are some interesting tidbits in there that are worth revisiting.

What other book might you compare The War That Ended Peace to and why?

I read this as part of a "trilogy", "Paris 1919" also by MacMillian which chronicles the treaty of Versaille as well as "The coming of the Third Reich" which deals with the rise of the Nazi Regime in Germany.

All three of these books together paint a rather intriguing picture on how the world ended up the way it is today.

What does Richard Burnip bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nothing in particular. He does a good job of reading the script, but as it is mostly a factual book not fiction, he's not "creating characters", which is good. It gives the book a more "historical" tone.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Several, mostly because the book makes it abundantly clear how a bunch of small decisions can lead to very big changes.

Hard core history, very in-depth

I listened to this book while driving from Whitehorse to Victoria. The book was really interesting: dense history packed with a whole lot of information about the First World War that I didn't know about. The audio was decent, a strong British reader, though the tempo was a bit slow. Pronunciation of names was amazing.

The book itself was a lot to take in. Listening to a work of serious history such as this may not have been the best idea as names, places, and timelines started blending together. It was also difficult to concentrate on the book's flow while driving (I would not recommend trying to listen to 6-8 hours of this per day!). The content is well-researched, detailed, and organized in a clear manner. I liked the way MacMillan focused on what led to war as it showed a much more intricate dynamic that depended much more on personal dynamics than I had expected. Amazing to think that the world leaders of the day could be so influenced by vanity, blind unwillingness to accept competence in others, and a lack of understanding of the basics of their positions (though I suppose recent events may show that can still happen today...).

I would recommend this book to experienced history students, as to get the most out of it you need to be really interested in the subject matter and know a bit about the First World War and the geopolitical framework of the early 1900s.

Great book! Narrator? Not so much

Margaret MacMillan's detailed analysis clearly shows how multiple events in the decades prior to 1914 led inexorably towards the conflagration that was World War I. Perhaps more importantly, she very effectively describes the personalities whose motivations and choices led to those events.

Unfortunately, the listening experience is undermined by narration that suffers from odd pacing, with innumerable mid-sentence pauses that make no sense with respect to the text being read.

Still, it's worth overlooking the strangely-paced narration in order to gain a full understanding of how and why the world went to war in August 1914.