The Lights that Failed: European International History, 1919-1933

The Lights that Failed: European International History, 1919-1933The Lights that Failed: European International History, 1919-1933 by Zara S. Steiner
ISBN: 0198221142
on May 12th 2005
Pages: 850

Len's Summary: Challenges the assumption that the Versailles Treaty led to WWII. A second volume, Triumph of the Night, will examine the years from 1933 to the early 1940s.

Spies of the Kaiser: German Covert Operations in Great Britain during the First World War Era

Spies of the Kaiser: German Covert Operations in Great Britain during the First World War EraSpies of the Kaiser: German Covert Operations in Great Britain during the First World War Era by Thomas Boghardt
ISBN: 9781403932488
Published by Palgrave Macmillan on January 15th 2005
Pages: 248

Len's Summary: Written by a historian at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. He begins his survey with a look at the pre-war period of Anglo-German naval rivalry finding that German espionage before and during the conflict produced few tangible results and practically nothing on the British Expeditionary Force.

Theodore Roosevelt and World Order: Police Power in International Relations

Theodore Roosevelt and World Order: Police Power in International RelationsTheodore Roosevelt and World Order: Police Power in International Relations by James R. Holmes
ISBN: 1574888846
Published by Potomac Books on April 1st 2007
Pages: 336

Len's Summary: A new look at Roosevelt's "Big Stick" policies, the Roosevelt Corollaries to the Monroe Doctrine and American imperialism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author is a former naval officer and a Ph.D. graduate of the Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Woodrow Wilson’s Western Tour: Rhetoric, Public Opinion, And the League of Nations

Woodrow Wilson’s Western Tour: Rhetoric, Public Opinion, And the League of NationsWoodrow Wilson's Western Tour: Rhetoric, Public Opinion, And the League of Nations by J. Michael Hogan
ISBN: 9781585445332
Published by Texas A&M University Press on August 1st 2006
Genres: United States, Political Science, International Relations
Pages: 212

Len's Summary: Analysis of Wilson's speeches in support of ratification of the Treaty of Versailles during his September 1919 tour of western states cut short by a crippling stroke. The author assesses the tour in the light of Wilson's own scholarly writings on government.

Woodrow Wilson’s Right Hand: The Life of Colonel Edward M. House

Woodrow Wilson’s Right Hand: The Life of Colonel Edward M. HouseWoodrow Wilson's Right Hand: The Life of Colonel Edward M. House by Godfrey Hodgson
ISBN: 9780300092691
Published by Yale University Press Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Political Science, International Relations, Diplomacy, United States
Pages: 335

Len's Summary: An important new biography of Wilson's alter ego and roving diplomatic emissary. How a Texas pol made to the center of the national and international political stages.

The Unfinished Peace after World War I: America, Britain and the Stabilisation of Europe, 1919-1932

The Unfinished Peace after World War I: America, Britain and the Stabilisation of Europe, 1919-1932The Unfinished Peace after World War I: America, Britain and the Stabilisation of Europe, 1919-1932 by Patrick O. Cohrs
ISBN: 9780521723435
Published by Cambridge University Press on February 11th 2008
Genres: Political Science, International Relations
Pages: 708

Len's Summary: An original and revisionist thesis arguing that the real peace settlement of WWI was not incorporated in Versailles, but rather in the London reparations settlement of 1924 (the Dawes Plan) and the Locarno security pact of 1925 which fostered German reintegration into the community of nations and laid the realistic foundations for a European security system.

A Handful of Bullets: How the Murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Still Menaces the Peace

A Handful of Bullets: How the Murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Still Menaces the PeaceA Handful of Bullets: How the Murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Still Menaces the Peace by Harlan Ullman
ISBN: 1612517994
Published by Naval Institute Press on December 15th 2014
Genres: Political Science, International Relations, Diplomacy
Pages: 256

Len's Summary: A failure of diplomacy and statesmanship; drawing lessons and parallels from history to cope with today’s strategic issues.

The United States, Revolutionary Russia, and the Rise of Czechoslovakia

The United States, Revolutionary Russia, and the Rise of CzechoslovakiaThe United States, Revolutionary Russia, and the Rise of Czechoslovakia by Betty Miller Unterberger
ISBN: 0890969310
Published by Texas A&M University Press on April 1st 2000
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Political Science, International Relations, General
Pages: 463

Len's Summary: A revised edition of the 1989 work based on newly available documentary sources. By the author of "Woodrow Wilson and Great Power Relations in Central Europe."

Britain, France, and the Financing of the First World War

Britain, France, and the Financing of the First World WarBritain, France, and the Financing of the First World War by Martin Horn
ISBN: 9780773522930
on March 26th 2002
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Political Science, International Relations, General
Pages: 249

Len's Summary: A good analysis of a neglected area ofimportance in understanding WWI. I plan to review this for a future issue of StandTo!

The New World Power: American Foreign Policy, 1898-1917

The New World Power: American Foreign Policy, 1898-1917The New World Power: American Foreign Policy, 1898-1917 by Robert E. Hannigan
ISBN: 9780812236668
Published by University of Pennsylvania Press on November 27th 2002
Genres: History, United States, 20th Century, Political Science, International Relations, General
Pages: 365

Len's Summary: A survey and analysis of America’s increasing involvement in world affairs through four administrations in two the decades beginning with the Spanish American War and ending with the declaration of war against Imperial Germany in 1917. This is an era often ignored by today’s diplomatic historians. Editor-in-Chief Len Shurtleff will review this monograph for Stand To!

The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response

The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s ResponseThe Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response by Peter Balakian
ISBN: 9780060558703
Published by HarperCollins on September 30th 2003
Genres: History, United States, 20th Century, Modern, Political Science, International Relations, General
Pages: 528

Len's Summary: Covers the history of Turko-Armenian relations as well as the pogroms of 1915-16 with particular emphasis on American reactions and interventions. A History Book Club alternate selection.

Nexus: Strategic Communications and American Security in World War I

Nexus: Strategic Communications and American Security in World War INexus: Strategic Communications and American Security in World War I by Jonathan Reed Winkler
ISBN: 9780674725775
Published by Harvard University Press on June 30th 2008
Genres: History, United States, 20th Century, Military, World War I, Political Science, International Relations, Diplomacy
Pages: 357

Len's Summary: A new way of looking at evolving global strategy: the technology, economics and politics of commercial and military communications during WWI.

Woodrow Wilson and the American Myth in Italy: Culture, Diplomacy, and War Propaganda

Woodrow Wilson and the American Myth in Italy: Culture, Diplomacy, and War PropagandaWoodrow Wilson and the American Myth in Italy: Culture, Diplomacy, and War Propaganda by Daniela Rossini, Antony Shugaar
ISBN: 0674028244
Published by Harvard University Press on May 1st 2008
Genres: History, Europe, Italy, Military, World War I, United States, 20th Century, Political Science, International Relations, Diplomacy
Pages: 263

Len's Summary: A new look at Wilsonian diplomacy, or lack there of, through an examination of Italo-American relations during WWI and during the Paris peace conference.

Balfour and Weizmann: The Zionist, the Zealot and the Emergence of Israel

Balfour and Weizmann: The Zionist, the Zealot and the Emergence of IsraelBalfour and Weizmann: The Zionist, the Zealot and the Emergence of Israel by Geoffrey Lewis
ISBN: 9781847250407
Published by A&C Black on May 31st 2009
Genres: History, Ancient, General, Europe, Great Britain, Middle East, Israel & Palestine, Political Science, International Relations, Diplomacy
Pages: 203

Len's Summary: Explores the relationship between the British Foreign Secretary and Chaim Weizmann the British chemist, Zionist and first President of Israel.

Reconsidering Woodrow Wilson: Progressivism, Internationalism, War, and Peace

Reconsidering Woodrow Wilson: Progressivism, Internationalism, War, and PeaceReconsidering Woodrow Wilson: Progressivism, Internationalism, War, and Peace by John Milton Cooper Jr.
ISBN: 0801890748
Published by Woodrow Wilson Center Press on September 30th 2008
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Presidents & Heads of State, History, United States, 20th Century, Political Science, International Relations, General
Pages: 376

Len's Summary: A series of essays reexamining Wilson’s policies and legacy.

Unlikely Allies: Britain, America and the Victorian Origins of the Special Relationship

Unlikely Allies: Britain, America and the Victorian Origins of the Special RelationshipUnlikely Allies: Britain, America and the Victorian Origins of the Special Relationship by Duncan Andrew Campbell
ISBN: 1847251919
Published by Bloomsbury Academic on February 1st 2008
Genres: History, United States, General, Political Science, International Relations, Europe, Great Britain
Pages: 320

Len's Summary: Putting aside residual antagonisms stemming from the War of 1812, America and Great Britain lay the basis for an alliance that survived two world wars and is still operative today.

The Origins of the First World War

The Origins of the First World WarThe Origins of the First World War by William Mulligan
ISBN: 9780521713948
Published by Cambridge University Press on March 4th 2010
Genres: Political Science, History, Europe, General, Modern, 20th Century, Military, World War I, International Relations
Pages: 265

Len's Summary: A scholarly reinterpretation of the origins examining key issues from 1870 to 1914, and arguing that WWI was far from inevitable.

With Our Backs to the Wall: Victory and Defeat, 1918

With Our Backs to the Wall: Victory and Defeat, 1918With Our Backs to the Wall: Victory and Defeat, 1918 by David Stevenson
ISBN: 9780674062269
Published by Harvard University Press on September 19th 2011
Genres: History, Europe, General, Military, World War I, United States, Political Science, International Relations
Pages: 688

Len's Summary: A broad, sagely crafted political-military analysis of the 1918 end game of WWI focusing on the basis for the Allies’ incomplete victory and implications for peace. The author also wrote the excellent Armaments and the Coming of War, 1904-1914 (Oxford, 1996).

Imagining the Middle East: The Building of an American Foreign Policy, 1918-1967

Imagining the Middle East: The Building of an American Foreign Policy, 1918-1967Imagining the Middle East: The Building of an American Foreign Policy, 1918-1967 by Matthew F. Jacobs
ISBN: 9780807834886
Published by Univ of North Carolina Press on September 12th 2011
Genres: History, Middle East, General, United States, 20th Century, Political Science, International Relations
Pages: 318

Len's Summary: Traces the evolution of US perceptions of the Middle East from the breakup of the Ottoman Empire to the 1967 War.

The Black Book: Woodrow Wilson’s Secret Plan for Peace

The Black Book: Woodrow Wilson’s Secret Plan for PeaceThe Black Book: Woodrow Wilson's Secret Plan for Peace by Wesley J. Reisser
ISBN: 9780739185391
Published by Lexington Books on 2013
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Political Science, International Relations, Treaties, Peace, Social Science, Human Geography, United States
Pages: 204

Len's Summary: American involvement in negotiating the breakup of European empires with particular reference to redrawing national borders in Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. These frontiers remain a living problem for diplomacy today.

The Shadow of the Past: Reputation and Military Alliances before the First World War

The Shadow of the Past: Reputation and Military Alliances before the First World WarThe Shadow of the Past: Reputation and Military Alliances before the First World War by Gregory D. Miller
ISBN: 9780801464607
Published by Cornell University Press on February 17th 2012
Pages: 248

Len's Summary: Posits the axiom that only states perceived as reliable (viz., willing to support alliance partners in time of war) could form strong, effective military pacts. A study of diplomacy in the Belle Époque. // How states built and sustained alliances in pre-war Europe.

Contested Frontiers in the Balkans: Ottoman, Habsburg and Communist Rivalries in Eastern Europe

Contested Frontiers in the Balkans: Ottoman, Habsburg and Communist Rivalries in Eastern EuropeContested Frontiers in the Balkans: Ottoman, Habsburg and Communist Rivalries in Eastern Europe by Irina Marin
ISBN: 9781780761053
on December 11th 2012
Genres: History, Europe, Eastern, Social History, Political Science, International Relations, General, Social Science, Anthropology, Cultural
Pages: 256

Len's Summary: Good background reading for the Great War, its aftermath and post WWII.

The Will to Believe: Woodrow Wilson, World War I, and America’s Strategy for Peace and Security

The Will to Believe: Woodrow Wilson, World War I, and America’s Strategy for Peace and SecurityThe Will to Believe: Woodrow Wilson, World War I, and America's Strategy for Peace and Security by Ross A. Kennedy
ISBN: 9780873389716
Published by Kent State University Press on March 13th 2009
Genres: History, Military, World War I, United States, General, 20th Century, Political Science, International Relations
Pages: 291

Len's Summary: A nuanced look at the debate surrounding Wilson’s national security policy and the shadow this casts across contemporary foreign policy formulation. // The author, an Assistant Professor of History at Illinois State University, takes a new, sophisticated look at how three competing groups — pacifists, liberal internationalists and Atlanticists — addressed national security issues during the Wilson Administration. // A fresh analysis of Wilson’s foreign policy focusing on three competing groups: pacifists, liberal internationalists, and Atlanticists.

The Foreign Office Mind: The Making of British Foreign Policy, 1865-1914

The Foreign Office Mind: The Making of British Foreign Policy, 1865-1914The Foreign Office Mind: The Making of British Foreign Policy, 1865-1914 by T. G. Otte
ISBN: 9781107613102
Published by Cambridge University Press on August 22nd 2013
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Modern, General, 20th Century, Political Science, International Relations
Pages: 468

Len's Summary: Study of the underlying principles and elite perceptions that shaped British foreign policy before the outbreak of WWI. -- How British elites shaped foreign policy — a look at the pre-1914 arms race, balance of powder in Europe and the causes of WWI.

July 1914: Countdown to War

July 1914: Countdown to WarJuly 1914: Countdown to War by Sean McMeekin
ISBN: 9780465060740
Published by Basic Books on April 29th 2014
Genres: History, Europe, General, Military, World War I, Modern, 20th Century, Political Science, International Relations
Pages: 460

Len's Summary: Analysis of the frenetic activities of often desperate diplomats and more sanguine soldiers by the winner of the 2011 WW1HA Tomlinson Book Prize. A fast-paced account of some of the most important decisions of the 20th century. The author spares no one, but lays much of the blame on France and Russia. See also The Lions of July: Prelude to War, 1914,William Jannen, Presidio Press, 1997.

Making the World Safe: The American Red Cross and a Nation’s Humanitarian Awakening

Making the World Safe: The American Red Cross and a Nation’s Humanitarian AwakeningMaking the World Safe: The American Red Cross and a Nation’s Humanitarian Awakening by Julia Irwin
ISBN: 9780199766406
Published by OUP USA on May 23rd 2013
Genres: History, United States, 20th Century, Modern, South, Political Science, International Relations, General, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations)
Pages: 273

Len's Summary: The rise of the American Red Cross from Julia Ward Howe and the Civil War through WWI when it became our official private voluntary aid agency.

Lawrence in Arabia: War Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East

Lawrence in Arabia: War Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle EastLawrence in Arabia: War Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Scott Anderson
ISBN: 9780385532938
Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on August 6th 2013
Genres: History, Middle East, General, Military, World War I, Political Science, International Relations, Diplomacy
Pages: 592

Len's Summary: How the violent expulsion of the Ottomans and near-sighted Franco-British imperial policies led to a series of crises that began in 1918 and persist today.

The July Crisis: The World’s Descent Into War, Summer 1914

The July Crisis: The World’s Descent Into War, Summer 1914The July Crisis: The World’s Descent Into War, Summer 1914 by T. G. Otte
ISBN: 9781107064904
Published by Cambridge University Press on June 5th 2014
Pages: 555

Len's Summary: Finds the causes of war in the utter failure of European state craft not in abstract concepts such as Balance of Power or competing alliance systems. // Finds the failure of European state craft at the root of all causes. Another look at a much-studied case.

The Outbreak of the First World War: Structure, Politics, and Decision-Making

The Outbreak of the First World War: Structure, Politics, and Decision-MakingThe Outbreak of the First World War: Structure, Politics, and Decision-Making by Jack S. Levy, John A. Vasquez
ISBN: 9781107616028
Published by Cambridge University Press on March 21st 2014
Genres: Political Science, International Relations, General, History, Military, World War I
Pages: 320

Len's Summary: Scholarly essays present an interdisciplinary look at the war.

German Atrocities, 1914: A History of Denial

German Atrocities, 1914: A History of DenialGerman Atrocities, 1914 by John N. Horne, Alan Kramer
ISBN: 9780300107913
Published by Yale University Press on 2001
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 608

Len's Summary: Winner of the Fraenkel Prize for Contemporary History, this is a carefully researched, but densely drafted volume establishing that stories of German atrocities in Belgium and France were not just Entente propaganda. Winner of the 2002 Tomlinson Prize.

A Fraternity of Arms: America and France in the Great War

A Fraternity of Arms:  America and France in the Great WarA Fraternity of Arms by Robert Bowman Bruce
ISBN: 9780700612536
Published by University Press of Kansas on 2003
Genres: History, Europe, France, Military, Strategy, World War I, Political Science, International Relations, General
Pages: 380

Len's Summary: Thanks in large measure to expert (and often bilingual) French instructors a core of four 28,000-man divisions of the American army was ready to join the French in blunting and then reversing the final German push on Paris at the Marne in July 1918. It is in the resounding German setback on the Marne of July 18, 1918 – not their August 8th defeat by the British at Amiens – that Bruce finds the beginning of the end for German arms on the Western Front.

The Russian Origins of the First World War

The Russian Origins of the First World WarThe Russian Origins of the First World War by Sean McMeekin
ISBN: 9780674063204
Published by Harvard University Press on December 12th 2011
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Europe, Russia & the Former Soviet Union, Political Science, International Relations, General
Pages: 344

Len's Summary: The author contends that the Tzarist regime believed a general European war to be in its national interest; that is sought to humiliate Vienna, conquer Constantinople and open the Straits as an ice-free trade route to the Mediterranean and the west. Winner of the 2011 Norman B. Tomlinson, Jr. Prize for the best work of history in English on World War One (1914-1918)