History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Fundamentalism and American Culture (New Edition)

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Fundamentalism and American Culture
Engrossing, Engaging and Well Researched
1980 Edition Read
Interesting background literature
Quality History of an Important Period of American History

Fundamentalism and American Culture (New Edition)
George M. Marsden
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195300475

Book Description

Many American's today are taking note of the surprisingly strong political force that is the religious right. Controversial decisions by the government are met with hundreds of lobbyists, millions of dollars of advertising spending, and a powerful grassroots response. How has the fundamentalist movement managed to resist the pressures of the scientific community and the draw of modern popular culture to hold on to their ultra-conservative Christian views? Understanding the movement's history is key to answering this question. Fundamentalism and American Culture has long been considered a classic in religious history, and to this day remains unsurpassed. Now available in a new edition, this highly regarded analysis takes us through the full history of the origin and direction of one of America's most influential religious movements. For Marsden, fundamentalists are not just religious conservatives; they are conservatives who are willing to take a stand and to fight. In Marsden's words (borrowed by Jerry Falwell), "a fundamentalist is an evangelical who is angry about something." In the late nineteenth century American Protestantism was gradually dividing between liberals who were accepting new scientific and higher critical views that contradicted the Bible and defenders of the more traditional evangelicalism. By the 1920s a full-fledged "fundamentalist" movement had developed in protest against theological changes in the churches and changing mores in the culture. Building on networks of evangelists, Bible conferences, Bible institutes, and missions agencies, fundamentalists coalesced into a major protest movement that proved to have remarkable staying power. For this new edition, a major new chapter compares fundamentalism since the 1970s to the fundamentalism of the 1920s, looking particularly at the extraordinary growth in political emphasis and power of the more recent movement. Never has it been more important to understand the history of fundamentalism in our rapidly polarizing nation. Marsen's carefully researched and engrossing work remains the best way to do just that.

Customer Reviews:

Fundamentalism and American Culture.......2006-11-03

Good reading. It presents a good review of the culture and the strengths and weaknesses that religion can play in forming it.

Engrossing, Engaging and Well Researched.......2006-09-01

George Marsden's biography of Jonathan Edwards was so well written that I decided to read more of his stuff. This book on fundamentalism is a classic. Many scholars of Christian fundamentalism paint with too broad a brush, often lumping evangelicals into the fundy camp. Marsden avoids this mistake. He also acknowledges what many do not, that the fundamentalism of the post WWI era took on a much harsher and more separatistic tone.

Marsden does a nice of discussing some of the towering figures of the movement: D.L Moody, R.A Torrey, Arno Gaebelein, J, Gresham Machen, Jonathan Blanchard and Charles Blanchard (the President of Wheaton College). He shows how early fundamentalists like R.A Torrey and W.H Griffith Thomas thought that evangelical zeal should be coupled with social concern. Marsden also highlights the fundamentalist disdain over the more liberal Social Gospel, which jettisoned evangelism completely.

We also get to see the fundamentalists like Billy Sunday and William Jennings Bryan, who were concerned about people coming to know Christ, but not quite as concerned about people coming to know more about the doctrinal content of Christianity. This was a major concern of the evangelical Princeton theologians (BB Warfield, Charles Hodge, and J. Gresham Machen).

There is also a newer chapter in this edition that traces the development of fundamentalism from 1980 to the present day. In this chaoter, Marsden also takes himself to task for not discussing how the relaxed mores of the "Roaring Twenties" alarmed the fundamentalist community, nor did her mention the role of women in the fundamentalist movement of 1871-1925.

But these criticisms duly noted, I still like the book very much and commend it to those interested in religious movements.

Rev. Marc Axelrod

1980 Edition Read.......2006-06-18

I have read the 1980 edition of this book.

How to use the word miracle in one's vocabulary, but not accept the signs and wonders of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Birth, the ressurection, any event recorded in the Old Testament that goes against the laws of Nature. To accept the premise that God on rare occasions does something beyound the laws of Nature or the existence of God entirely, A modernist may use may use the word miracle to describe the unexpexted or an event happening despite the mathematical odds- but not an act by a supernatural being overruling the laws of Nature.

To not believe in such a Being, means to deny the facts described in the bible. These scholars do not accept the Lord God as described in the Bible. This type of Theologian albeit University instructor or Pastor of a church was quite prominant in Europe before 1870, but not in the United States until later. This book is a debate among those who accept the bible as true as it is and those who deny the word of God as valid.

The date of the book is not arbitrary. Since the author cites the end of the Civil war and Darwins theory of evolution as major cataylist to bringing the debate to the forefront in the United States. This includes the University, the pulpit and in the American Culture. This book is a narrative about social change in American society, theological thought, and the major players in Christian Revivals and Theology. Not just the scholars in the Universities. The book touches on changes in the Universities(1980 edition), but its main focus is on society. Is the Bible sufficient to show how God interacts with the created.

I found the reading interesting and easy to understand.

.

Interesting background literature.......2006-02-23

I used this book to get insight in background of R.A. Torrey, and it helped wonderfully. Espescially for me as a European theologian, it helped to get insight in history and society of the States, especially concerning the relation between pre-millenianism and cultural atmosphere and impact on theology, especially on the question of the personhood of the Holy Spirit!

For European theology it gives an insight in the background of the more and more popular evangelical and pentecostal churches and their theology, that has its roots there, where this book is al about!

Stefan R Timmerman

Quality History of an Important Period of American History.......2004-07-01

The reviews above by Aitkin and Huchison are very helpful, but I felt it was important to add two points. The fourth part- Interpretations- deals with scholarly understanding of the movement within American Chistianity called fundamentalism. I found this to be especially helpful, a careful synthesis and interaction with the most important scholarly work in this area. I also found it to be a good demonstration of how a christian can do "history" with scholarly integrity. In this part, he also gives some interesting authors worth looking at later, of which he interacts. The last two pages of the book, the Epilogue, is something of Marsden's philosophy of history, and how it relates to theology and faith. Again, very worthwhile, and something I will share with friends who also have an interest in Christians doing scholarly work in history, He is always fair and evenhanded. In my opinion, the book is soild throughout, and very readable. Yet I learned more from the last fifty pages than the preceeding chapters.

When Washington Shut Down Wall Street: The Great Financial Crisis of 1914 and the Origins of America's Monetary Supremacy

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Great read
Fascinating history of how the U.S. became the world's financial leader

When Washington Shut Down Wall Street: The Great Financial Crisis of 1914 and the Origins of America's Monetary Supremacy
William L. Silber
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691127476

Book Description

When Washington Shut Down Wall Street unfolds like a mystery story. It traces Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo's triumph over a monetary crisis at the outbreak of World War I that threatened the United States with financial disaster. The biggest gold outflow in a generation imperiled America's ability to repay its debts abroad. Fear that the United States would abandon the gold standard sent the dollar plummeting on world markets. Without a central bank in the summer of 1914, the United States resembled a headless financial giant.

William McAdoo stepped in with courageous action, we read in Silber's gripping account. He shut the New York Stock Exchange for more than four months to prevent Europeans from selling their American securities and demanding gold in return. He smothered the country with emergency currency to prevent a replay of the bank runs that swept America in 1907. And he launched the United States as a world monetary power by honoring America's commitment to the gold standard. His actions provide a blueprint for crisis control that merits attention today. McAdoo's recipe emphasizes an exit strategy that allows policymakers to throttle a crisis while minimizing collateral damage.

When Washington Shut Down Wall Street recreates the drama of America's battle for financial credibility. McAdoo's accomplishments place him alongside Paul Volcker and Alan Greenspan as great American financial leaders. McAdoo, in fact, nursed the Federal Reserve into existence as the 1914 crisis waned and served as the first chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

Customer Reviews:

Great read.......2007-08-30

This book is a great read. The topic is fascinating (to me, at least). Some of the material is a bit intricate, but the author does a great job of explaining it. He liberally uses footnotes to explain details which to an economist might be pedestrian but to a lay person such as myself are not obvious. (One ongoing topic is the exchange rate between pounds sterling and dollars, and how that relates to the price of gold and the cost of shipping gold between the UK and the US. He does a great job of walking the reader through the process and the arithmetic.) I highly recommend this book, and particularly recommend it to anyone who wonders what the Federal Reserve Board really does.

Fascinating history of how the U.S. became the world's financial leader.......2007-03-30

In Kazuo Ishiguro's novel The Remains of the Day, a blue-blood guest unmercifully grills James Stevens, the head butler at an English estate. The pompous guest is trying to demonstrate that uneducated people should not have the vote. "My good man," he asks, "do you suppose the debt situation regarding America is a significant factor in the present low levels of trade? Or...is the abandonment of the gold standard...at the root of the matter?" Stevens, aware that the question is meant only to baffle him, replies that he has no idea. Poor Stevens! Anyone without a degree in international finance would have an equally difficult time answering such an abstruse question. That's why this intriguing business history book by William L. Silber is so worthwhile: He brings global finance to life by spotlighting America's 1914 money crisis and by explaining how then-U.S. Treasury Secretary William McAdoo used this portentous episode to establish the nation's financial supremacy. We suggest you read this illuminating work of economic history to understand the seminal events that established U.S. monetary policy.

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The Origins of World War I

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521817358

Book Description

Why did World War I happen? Several of the oft-cited causes are reviewed and discussed in this analysis. The argument of the alliance systems is inadequate, lacking relevance or compelling force. The argument of an accident or "slide" is also inadequate, given the clear and unambiguous evidence of intentions. The arguments of mass demands focusing on nationalism, militarism, and social Darwinism are also arguably insufficient. They lack indications of frequency, intensity, and process or influence on the various decisions.

The Origins of the First World War (3rd Edition) (Origins Of Modern Wars)

Average customer rating:

Excellent overview
A Topical Approach to the Causes of World War I
Superlative
Dry but informative
Into the vortex - from all the angles

The Origins of the First World War (3rd Edition) (Origins Of Modern Wars)
James Joll , and Gordon Martel
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0582423791

Customer Reviews:

Excellent overview.......2007-01-16

Joll has written an excellent academic overview and introduction to the origins of the First World War. He covers all the angles, in a way that does justice to the majority of the arguments surrounding the academic debate. If there is a criticism worthy of mention, it is that he covers every argument, yet argues very little. This is perhaps natural, even inevitable, for a work that is intended to introduce the topic, and for readers seeking a sound introduction, this book is certainly worthy.

A Topical Approach to the Causes of World War I.......2006-05-12

The Origins of the First World War by James Joll was a concise but informative study of the major causes of the catastrophe that engulfed Europe and much of the world from 1914-1918. Joll began the book with a summary of the July Crisis of 1914 which was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. The rest of the chapters examined the major problems in Europe that made war inevitable. This review will examine each chapter and its importance in making World War I inevitable.
There were two major alliance systems in Europe in 1914: the Triple Alliance of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy and the Triple Entente which consisted of France, Great Britain, and Russia. The lesser powers in Europe sided with one alliance or another, and their loyalties changed when it suited them. Joll explained how those alliances were formed. It was surprising how weak they were, as Austria-Hungary was frequently at odds with both Germany and especially with Italy. Great Britain also had problems with both France and Russia in the colonial sphere. If it was not for these alliances, then the July Crisis would have either never resulted in a war or the war would have remained localized in the Balkan Penninsula.
I found the next chapter on armaments and strategy to be especially useful. While many nations were spending vast amounts of money preparing for war and conscripting their young men, other states such as Austria-Hungary were spending a relatively low percentage of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense. I was surprised that France was investing far more of its resources preparing for the next war than Germany (the French had a three year conscription program).
There were several aspects of strategy that I found especially interesting. General Conrad von Hotzendorf of Austria-Hungary desperately wanted a war as soon as possible to unite the multi-ethnic nation and prevent Serbia from being able to incite the Slavic population. It was also interesting that both Austria-Hungary and Russia were both expanding into the Balkans, making a collision course inevitable. Finally, Germany and Austria-Hungary wanted a war in 1914 because Russia was in the midst of a vast building program (with French money) and they would be virtually unstoppable if the war was delayed until 1916 or 1917.
The chapter on domestic politics demonstrated that many of these nations viewed the war that arose from the July Crisis as a potential diversion from problems at home. The situation in Austria-Hungary has already been mentioned. The Russians believed that they could not back down from the conflict because they had failed to support the Slavic peoples in the Balkans twice before in 1878 and 1911; they would lose virtually all credibility if they backed down a third time in 1914. The Russians also hoped that a victorious war would enable them to achieve their dream of capturing Constantinople. According to Joll, the issue of Irish home rule was tearing the British apart, and they looked forward to a distraction on the Continent.
While France still coveted the lost provinces of Alsace-Lorraine, they did not expect to liberate them anytime soon. Joll believed that the French would have preferred to delay the war until her Russian ally had completed her militarization program.
Imperial rivalries proved to be a minor cause of the war. The author wrote about both the Fashoda conflict and the Moroccan crises in detail. These crises proved how weak the two alliance systems were, as England and France nearly went to war over the former and Italy failed to support Germany in the latter. Nonetheless, nobody was willing to go to war over colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. The most important consequence of imperialism to the outbreak of World War I was that Russia was forced to turn west to the Balkans as an avenue for expansion after they were defeated by Japan in 1904-1905.
Joll's overall opinion of the mood of the Europeans towards war was ambiguous. While there were some ultra-nationalist groups in all countries, they were balanced out by Socialists who opposed war. The Socialists hoped that a general strike might prevent Europe from mobilizing for war in the summer of 1914. According to Joll, there were some strikes (especially in France), but this movement was essentially killed when a French nationalist assassinated Jean Jaures ended any possibility that the Socialists could prevent the war; in reality, nationalism proved more powerful that Socialism in 1914.
I was impressed by The Origins of the First World War. This book was clear and concise. It analyzed the major issues in enough detail to give the reader a clear idea as to why war was declared. Not only did one learn about the July Crisis that officially began the war but also the underlying causes that led to this crisis.

Superlative.......2006-01-08

Joll's second edition of 'The Origins of the First World War' is without question one of the finest, most informative, and yet concise and easily readable treatises on the entire complicated topic. His analysis examines multiple factors influencing the war, and is admirably neutral, not displaying taint or bias (particularly that of Fischer), and provides one of the most excellent and succinct general analyses of the failure of the Second International that I have yet come across. Joll's bibliography is an excellent data mine and starting point for further research. Combined with Jannen's treatise on the diplomatic events of July 1914 ('The Lions of July') and Tuchman's classic 'The Guns of August', Joll's work is an essential element in any study of the origins of the single most important cataclysm in 20th century history.

Dry but informative.......2004-09-18

In the Book The Origins of the First World War, James Joll attempts to explain not only the causes of World War I but also begs the question "Why did it take until 1914 for war to break out, why not earlier?" To answer this question, Joll presents both foreign and domestic factors of the main participants and relates how they effected each nation's decision to enter the worst conflict in history to that date.
Each chapter examines a specific aspect of the causes that lead to the war. Throughout the chapters, Joll reveals the connections between the nations and their views toward the current status in Europe as well as other dynamics around the globe. In these comparisons, Joll pinpoints major considerations and analyzes why they were important and how they assisted or deterred a peaceful resolution. His format allows the reader to understand, for example, why Germany insisted on a "Naval Arms Race" with Britain, citing their desire to compete with the other major powers in the trade and colonization arenas.
Joll's research covers numerous factors involved, which shows his extensive research on the subject. The abundance of information supplies the thesis with a concrete foundation, showing the amount of thought put into the piece. Following each chapter is a list of references and notes used in the preceding section. This provides the reader the additional information to understand the subject without disrupting the flow of the text. After the final chapter, Joll incorporates inclusive maps of Europe and Africa, giving the reader reference to important relations between each nation and why border disputes and trade considerations were such a factor.
Joll also entertains the "Long Fuse" theory that many historians have labeled the time subsequent to July 1914. He shows how a crisis or situation that occurred as early as the 1905 Russo-Japanese war effected how the Imperialist nations viewed and reacted to colonial uprising as well as competitive colonization of African and Asia. Not to mention the consideration of Japan defeating a European world power on their way to dominate Southeast Asia, competing with countries such as Britain and France for control.
Throughout the essay, Joll provides useful information on the causes of the First World War without any hint of bias or faultfinding. His ability to remain neutral ensures the reader will not be swayed to Joll's belief or preconceived notions. Origins of the First World War is a well thought out, well written essay exposing many causes of the First World War. Unfortunately it is not a paper solely for entertainment purposes. The information contained will educate any reader interested in the subject, but can be somewhat difficult to grasp and maintain due to the sheer depth to which the author goes to support his conclusions. Unfortunately there is nothing Joll is able to do to combat this problem. As a whole, Joll accomplishes his task of explaining the causes of the First World War, giving the reader valuable information about not only why the war was fought but what kept it from being fought before 1914.

Into the vortex - from all the angles.......2001-10-24

The Origins of the First World War is a highly readable and enlightening tour of the world in mid-1914. Joll doesn't come at you from any particular political perspective and grants you access to all the arguments for the conflict. Nationalism, politics, military expansion, big business interests, imperialism along with conditions in each of the beligerents are examined in a free flowing easy style.

Joll does a very nice job in demolishing the Marxist line that WW1 was the result of imperialism and big business interests. By the end you are left convinced that, while the German naval expansions of 1912 were ultimately to blame for the process that led to war, each country got involved for entirely different reasons. There are good maps which give are easy to understand.

I do have some criticisms though. Each chapter is self contained but doesn't have any sub-headings or breaks. The editors could have spent a little time breaking up the text in each chapter to make the text a bit more readable. There isn't a great deal of attention to longer term history - such as the lingering impact left by the Crimean war and its peace treaty. But these are relatively minor quibbles about history writing that almost ranks as a work of art. Joll was a highly gifted historian.

Average customer rating:

Disappointing

A good introduction to a vast subject.

The Origins of the First and Second World Wars (Cambridge Perspectives in History)
Frank McDonough
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Back to the Front: An Accidental Historian Walks the Trenches of World War 1

ASIN: 0521568617

Book Description

This innovative new study analyzes the origins of the First and Second World Wars in one single volume by drawing on a wide range of material, including original sources. In concise, readable chapters, the author surveys the key issues surrounding the causes of both wars, offers an original and critical survey of the conflict of opinion among historians and provides a lively selection of primary documents on major issues. The result is a unique perspective on the origins of the two most devastating military conflicts in world history.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-10-18

It was easy to read - maybe too easy. I was expecting a more detailed and better organised book. I read history out of curiosity, but my curiosity about the origins of the two World Wars remains unsatisified.

A good introduction to a vast subject........2001-04-20

This is a very short book on such a huge theme...

The book presents the reasons for both wars as an strategic decision by the rulers of Germany. It makes a very good case, of the connection between the reasons for both wars.

Due to its size it is not very detailed, but still is very interesting. The author has included excerpts of historical documents that are related to the reasoning developed in the book.

Book Description

This book explores the influence of Helmuth von Moltke, Germany's Chief of the General Staff between 1906 and 1914. Based largely on previously-unknown primary sources, it shows that Moltke's influence on the Kaiser and on Germany's political decision-making to have been decisive, helping to foster an increasingly confrontational mood. The book also takes issue with the common perception of Moltke as a reluctant military leader, concluding that he was both bellicose and ambitious and played a crucial role in the outbreak of the First World War.

Origins of the First World War (3rd Edition) (Seminar Studies in History Series)

Average customer rating:

EXCELLENT FOR WHAT IT IS - AN OVERVIEW
Excellent overview
Excellent Overview of the "Great War"

Origins of the First World War (3rd Edition) (Seminar Studies in History Series)
Gordon Martel
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0582438047

Customer Reviews:

EXCELLENT FOR WHAT IT IS - AN OVERVIEW.......2007-10-11

I surprisingly large amount of information in packed into this small volume. The reader must remember that this is a short, survey type book, and not an indepth study. The author does cover the alliance system, basic strategic decisisions, international envolvement and the oddities of the situation in the Balkans at that time. Yes, there are better works out there, some of them come in multi-volumes, some in 800 pages or more. There is much to be learned in all of them, but for a quick, insightful look, you cannot really go wrong with this one. The text is in logical sequence and quite readable (if of course you like history) and the author backs his conclusions up, one by one. Highly recommend this one. It is a good additon to any library and a great primer on the subject.

Excellent overview.......2007-01-16

Like the similar book by James Joll, this is a wonderful overview of the origins of the First World War. It covers all the major aspects, all the major arguments, and tries to provide a fair and thorough analysis of the war guilt issue. As with most overviews, it presents everything yet argues very little, but this is less a criticism than a statement of inevitable fact. Martel's book is useful both as an academic introduction and reference work, and as a brilliant primer for the layperson.

Excellent Overview of the "Great War".......2001-02-26

Gordon Martel's contribution to the informative "Seminar Studies in History" series is highly informative, especially for students who are embarking on studying the History of World War One. Martel provides a concise, well-written summary of the historiography on the orgins of the war, as well as an overview of both the events leading up to its outbreak and the deeper causes of the war; such as the alliance system among the "Great Powers" and the prevailing military and diplomatic convictions of the time. Despite his stated intentions to keep his own opinions relatively silent, Martel's views on why World War One occurred are clear throughout the book. Graduate students will also appreciate this book for the historiographical summary it provides. Casual fans of history may want to skip the introduction and go straight to Martel's narrative, which is very good, if not excellent. Martel also provides several important primary documents and some basic maps to guide the reader. Overall, a fine primer on an important subject.

Origins of the Gulag: The Soviet Prison Camp System, 1917-1934

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Origins of the Gulag: The Soviet Prison Camp System, 1917-1934
Michael Jakobson
Manufacturer: University Press of Kentucky
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0813117968

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