I’m not rating this book because I skimmed the last half of it.

I truly loved the first two sections. They were extremely engaging as they focused on Germany, France, England, and Russia in the years leading up to World War I.

The detailed accounts of the political, social, and economic situations in these countries during that crucial period provided a fascinating backdrop to the events that would soon unfold.

It was interesting to see how the various tensions and rivalries among these nations were building up, ultimately leading to the outbreak of the war.

However, for some reason, I found myself losing interest towards the end and resorted to skimming.

Perhaps it was due to the complexity of the later chapters or my own lack of focus at that time.

Nonetheless, based on the first two sections, I can say that this book has the potential to be a great read for those interested in the history of World War I.

\\"The Guns of August\\" provides a detailed account of the events that led to the outbreak of World War I and the first month of battles in August 1914. The writing is vivid and rich, but also quite dense. Having some basic knowledge of World War I is beneficial as Barbara Tuchman quickly introduces the names of the main players in the initial chapters about the causes of the war. The black and white maps are useful, though not overly spectacular. The author is an engaging storyteller, presenting many of the politicians and generals with a touch of humor and frustration.

The book focuses on the Western Front as the German troops advanced into Belgium and northeastern France. Several chapters are dedicated to the Eastern Front, particularly the Battle of Tannenberg. In the Mediterranean, the search for the battleship \\"Goeben\\" is discussed as its presence in the Dardanelles blocked Russian trade and influenced Turkey to ally with Germany. The naval presence in the North Sea is also mentioned, while the situation between Austria and the Balkans is omitted.

The battles are described in an informative and detailed manner. Superior weapons, new technology, and strong planning and organization gave the Germans an advantage. However, their \\"slash and burn\\" policy in neutral Belgium brought Britain into the war and swayed US sympathies towards the Allies. Tachman vividly depicts the plight of the infantry on both sides, who often marched and fought for days before their food and ammunition supplies arrived. The book concludes dramatically with an account of the first Battle of the Marne in early September 1914, with taxis carrying soldiers speeding from Paris to the Front. Although the Allies prevented the Germans from entering Paris, the bloodshed had just begun. The Western Front consumed Allied war resources at an alarming rate, and the deadlock established in the first month determined the future course of the war, the terms of the peace, the shape of the interwar period, and the conditions for the Second World War.

There are so many wonderful and rave reviews of this book on GR that I might as well keep my review short.

Needless to say, this book won a Pulitzer Prize (Tuchman won two Pulitzers) and rightfully so as she keeps it factual and objective. Those who deserve praise receive it and those that don't are equally dealt with without bias.

The book stays within the time frame of the first month of the war (August, 1914) except for the initial two chapters of information about the military/political leaders of all countries involved. It shows how these leaders stumbled into a war that nobody wanted. The ideas of military campaigns were still those of the 19th century, like mounted cavalry, bayonet charges, and the British square. The general opinion was that the war would last probably no longer than a few months.

I am not going to get into all the battles fought during that first month but only one which brought that hatred of the world on Germany's shoulders, the invasion of neutral Belgium. Germany's famous Schlieffen Plan called for cutting across the corner of the country to envelop the French. But the Belgians and their brave King had other ideas. Instead of coming to an agreement with Germany, they took up arms and defended their little country. The invaders then turned their attention to the destruction of the people and the country, and the stereotype of the Hun was born and remained throughout the war. The horrors visited on the Belgians are very difficult to read.

The author takes the reader on the roads to Paris, Berlin, London, and Saint Petersburg where fateful decisions were made, and her research is impeccable. I highly recommend this book as even the scholar of WWI will find it engrossing.

After reading this book 100 years, sometimes to the day, after some of the events happened, it is truly difficult to know what to say. Others have already written so many excellent reviews. I believe that for my review, I will focus on reaction---reaction 100 years after the fact to the astonishing ease with which the European world, and then much more, plunged into a horrific bloodbath. The ease with which several leaders gave orders that condemned millions of people to death, cities, towns, and even small nations to near or total destruction is truly alarming.

From what I have read, the pressure for this war had been building for years. The Germans were afraid of being encircled within Europe. They worried that the rest of Europe was excluding them from various treaties. The war of brinksmanship had been going on for some time. The British had the most powerful Navy and had no intention of allowing that to change.

Ego, power, and money. Yes, these are the same reasons that wars are fought today. Only the weaponry has changed. Back then, it was mud-filled trenches. Men were being mowed down by machine guns or by hand-thrown "bombs", which were early grenades. The wounded, if they were lucky, might live to fight again. If they were horribly unlucky, they might die alone and unaided in No Man's Land, between the lines.

This went on for four years as generals on all sides pushed their men to the极限. It was truly devastating. And it was also devastating to civilians, especially those who happened to be in the path of the German army, which adopted a policy of essentially "teaching all a lesson."

I had originally intended to write a review highlighting Tuchman's excellent writing and scholarship, with examples of both. However, I find that I cannot. I am simply too tired, too worn out by the reading, too exhausted by this horrible war. (Of course, I also read Chevalier's excellent Fear: A Novel of World War I, which brought the general down to the specific and perhaps tired me even more.) But in the end, perhaps Tuchman achieved her purpose in me. I hate what I saw in that world of August, 1914.

I do recommend this book to anyone who has not read it. It is a powerful and thought-provoking account of a dark period in history.