Reckless misfortune : the century we inherited from the First World War /
Blake, Christopher R. L.,
Reckless misfortune : the century we inherited from the First World War / Century we inherited from the First World War Christopher Blake. - xvi, 223 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"The First World War, or the Great War as known at the time, was fought over a century ago. Its pursuit by the European powers in 1914 was utterly reckless and its ending was of great consequential misfortune for humanity. Despite its enormity and global reach, four generations later it is neglected today in the United States. That is not the case in Europe and the Commonwealth nations, which extensively commemorated its centennial between 2014 and 2018 with elaborate and moving ceremonies and memorials. The European response has understood how the First World War shaped the future, giving rise to new ideologies, technologies and geo-political forces that fundamentally influenced the past century. Indeed, the First World War ended so badly that it spawned a more catastrophic global conflict in the Second World War just twenty years later, and cemented the ideological rifts across the planet that haunt us today. The reckless decision to wage a global conflict in 1914 by our great-grandparent generation impacted our lives and ways of perceiving the world across the century, even though that perception is now a clouded one in the United States. That is ironic, since the twentieth century was indeed "America's Century" in large part because of the First World War"--
9780881468045 0881468045
2021026542
World War, 1914-1918--Influence.
World War, 1914-1918--Social aspects.
War and society--History--20th century.
Europe--History--20th century.
United States--History--20th century.
Reckless misfortune : the century we inherited from the First World War / Century we inherited from the First World War Christopher Blake. - xvi, 223 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"The First World War, or the Great War as known at the time, was fought over a century ago. Its pursuit by the European powers in 1914 was utterly reckless and its ending was of great consequential misfortune for humanity. Despite its enormity and global reach, four generations later it is neglected today in the United States. That is not the case in Europe and the Commonwealth nations, which extensively commemorated its centennial between 2014 and 2018 with elaborate and moving ceremonies and memorials. The European response has understood how the First World War shaped the future, giving rise to new ideologies, technologies and geo-political forces that fundamentally influenced the past century. Indeed, the First World War ended so badly that it spawned a more catastrophic global conflict in the Second World War just twenty years later, and cemented the ideological rifts across the planet that haunt us today. The reckless decision to wage a global conflict in 1914 by our great-grandparent generation impacted our lives and ways of perceiving the world across the century, even though that perception is now a clouded one in the United States. That is ironic, since the twentieth century was indeed "America's Century" in large part because of the First World War"--
9780881468045 0881468045
2021026542
World War, 1914-1918--Influence.
World War, 1914-1918--Social aspects.
War and society--History--20th century.
Europe--History--20th century.
United States--History--20th century.