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World War I. An Outline History is precisely what its title suggests. A short, concise and objective recounting of the events leading to, during and succeeding the First World War. The book is an attempt to tell the First World War in the briefest of ways. Hansom W Baldwin was a distinguished war correspondent in World War II and eventually peaked his career as the Chief Editor of the New York Times. He has authored several books on war including The Navy at War, Great Mistakes of the War and The Price of Power. His first love was for the Navy and that had been due to his rearing up in Annapolis near the US Naval Academy. The book is primarily aimed for the layman to get a self contained understanding of the immediate causes, the progress and outcome of battles and the aftermath of allied victory and axis defeat in the First World War. It has been interspersed with useful political and military analysis to allow the reader a revealing understanding of the war without burdening him with unnecessary detail.
The book can functionally be divided in two parts. One functional objective is to provide the essentially needed historical background and analysis to put the various events connected with the First World War in correct perspective. The second objective is to provide the reader the actual events, battles and campaigns in an easily comprehendible chronological order starting from 1914 to 1918.
In the first chapter the historical background, political situation in the continent, the continental power structure and the strengths and weaknesses of the key personalities of the time are described. This chapter takes the average reader to a take off point where the subsequent narration of events becomes interesting. In the same vein the last chapter succinctly summarizes the political fallout of the war both on the victors and the vanquished. It also then furnishes the effects these events had in subsequent times.
Chapters II to VI respectively deal with each year of the war. By devoting one chapter for each year of the war, the author has attempted to highlight the singular events of that year in perspective and at the same time keep the narrative coherent. The recounting of the famous German Schiefflin Plan in Chapter II and its modification by Moltke is notable. The new weapons of war; gas, aircraft and tanks find mention at the appropriate location. Their initial employment doctrine and effects are also explained in easy layman terms. Naval battles and operations in outer theatres like Middle East, Africa and the Balkans is given in brevity even by standards of this book.
The writing style is brisk and blithe that makes for an enjoyable reading. Chapter I and VI is a must read for the incisive comments on the political situation e.g." Nationalism and the desire for self-determination flamed brightly long before the canons spoke in 1914." Is a typical way how the author intersperses metaphors to make the reader aware of the underlying currents as well as make the reading a pleasure. Focus has primarily been on reviewing grand strategy of both sides while tactical detail is only given piecemeal wherever it may have become necessary for explanation of either a defeat or to explain subsequent evolution in strategy, tactics or political thought.
The book can be found interesting alone for its comments on leading personalities of the war. Weaknesses of Joffre, Haig, Kaiser, Czar Nicholas, Moltke, and George Lloyd etc are exposed to bring home the importance of the difference the personality factor can bring in the outcome of war. A bias can be found in the writer against the Austrians and Italians in the way they have been treated in the book. The author has adopted a style suited for the average reader, probably to a great degree as a result of his experience as a journalist well versed in the art of mass communication. The book will be a good starting point for any reader who wishes to quickly grasp an outline history of the First World War but this book will not serve the purpose of a serious student interested in a more rigorous and academic treatment of the history of the First World War as would be done by a professional historian.

World War I. An Outline History is precisely what its title suggests. A short, concise and objective recounting of the events leading to, during and succeeding the First World War. The book is an attempt to tell the First World War in the briefest of ways. Hansom W Baldwin was a distinguished war correspondent in World War II and eventually peaked his career as the Chief Editor of the New York Times. He has authored several books on war including The Navy at War, Great Mistakes of the War and The Price of Power. His first love was for the Navy and that had been due to his rearing up in Annapolis near the US Naval Academy. The book is primarily aimed for the layman to get a self contained understanding of the immediate causes, the progress and outcome of battles and the aftermath of allied victory and axis defeat in the First World War. It has been interspersed with useful political and military analysis to allow the reader a revealing understanding of the war without burdening him with unnecessary detail.
The book can functionally be divided in two parts. One functional objective is to provide the essentially needed historical background and analysis to put the various events connected with the First World War in correct perspective. The second objective is to provide the reader the actual events, battles and campaigns in an easily comprehendible chronological order starting from 1914 to 1918.
In the first chapter the historical background, political situation in the continent, the continental power structure and the strengths and weaknesses of the key personalities of the time are described. This chapter takes the average reader to a take off point where the subsequent narration of events becomes interesting. In the same vein the last chapter succinctly summarizes the political fallout of the war both on the victors and the vanquished. It also then furnishes the effects these events had in subsequent times.
Chapters II to VI respectively deal with each year of the war. By devoting one chapter for each year of the war, the author has attempted to highlight the singular events of that year in perspective and at the same time keep the narrative coherent. The recounting of the famous German Schiefflin Plan in Chapter II and its modification by Moltke is notable. The new weapons of war; gas, aircraft and tanks find mention at the appropriate location. Their initial employment doctrine and effects are also explained in easy layman terms. Naval battles and operations in outer theatres like Middle East, Africa and the Balkans is given in brevity even by standards of this book.
The writing style is brisk and blithe that makes for an enjoyable reading. Chapter I and VI is a must read for the incisive comments on the political situation e.g." Nationalism and the desire for self-determination flamed brightly long before the canons spoke in 1914." Is a typical way how the author intersperses metaphors to make the reader aware of the underlying currents as well as make the reading a pleasure. Focus has primarily been on reviewing grand strategy of both sides while tactical detail is only given piecemeal wherever it may have become necessary for explanation of either a defeat or to explain subsequent evolution in strategy, tactics or political thought.
The book can be found interesting alone for its comments on leading personalities of the war. Weaknesses of Joffre, Haig, Kaiser, Czar Nicholas, Moltke, and George Lloyd etc are exposed to bring home the importance of the difference the personality factor can bring in the outcome of war. A bias can be found in the writer against the Austrians and Italians in the way they have been treated in the book. The author has adopted a style suited for the average reader, probably to a great degree as a result of his experience as a journalist well versed in the art of mass communication. The book will be a good starting point for any reader who wishes to quickly grasp an outline history of the First World War but this book will not serve the purpose of a serious student interested in a more rigorous and academic treatment of the history of the First World War as would be done by a professional historian.

This is a good book for an overview of World War I. Baldwin does an adequate job of reviewing all the theaters of war. Some histories of the war don't cover the Russian, Italian, Bulgarian, and Middle East theaters, but Baldwin gives all equal weight. Thus the reader will have an insight into not only the Western Front, but the politics and battles elsewhere.
Baldwin states this is an outline history. This is what the reader will find if he reads this book. No individual stories will appear here, just the outline of the war. Baldwin also limits his own opinion in the book.