War is too important to be left to the generals; snapped future French prime minister Georges Clemenceau on learning of yet another bloody and futile offensive on the Western Front. One of the great questions in the ongoing discussions and debate about World War I is why did winning take so long and exact so appalling a human cost? After all; this was a fight that; we were told; would be over by Christmas. Now; in his major new history; Allan Mallinson; former professional soldier and author of the acclaimed 1914: Fight the Good Fight provides answers that are disturbing as well as controversial; and have a contemporary resonance. He disputes the growing consensus among historians that British generals were not to blame for the losses and setbacks in the "war to end all wars"—that; given the magnitude of their task; they did as well anyone could have. He takes issue with the popular view that the "amateur" opinions on strategy of politicians such as Lloyd George and; especially; Winston Churchill; prolonged the war and increased the death toll. On the contrary; he argues; even before the war began Churchill had a far more realistic; intelligent; and humane grasp of strategy than any of the admirals or generals; while very few senior officers—including Sir Douglas Haig—were up to the intellectual challenge of waging war on this scale. And he repudiates the received notion that Churchill’s stature as a wartime prime minister after 1940 owes much to the lessons he learned from his World War I "mistakes"—notably the Dardanelles campaign—maintaining that in fact Churchill’s achievement in WWII owes much to the thwarting of his better strategic judgment by the "professionals" in WWI—and his determination that this would not be repeated. Mallinson argues that; from day one of the war; Britain was wrong-footed by absurdly faulty French military doctrine and paid; as a result; an unnecessarily high price in casualties. He shows that Lloyd George understood only too well the catastrophically dysfunctional condition of military policy-making and struggled against the weight of military opposition to fix it. And he asserts that both the British and the French failed to appreciate what the Americans’ contribution to victory could be—and; after the war; to acknowledge fully what it had actually been.
#218151 in Books New English Review Press 2012-01-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .61 x 5.98l; .89 #File Name: 0578094185272 pages
Review
60 of 65 people found the following review helpful. Great Non PC historyBy Prometheus IPremise of book is that the fall of Rome did not cause the "Dark Ages". Barbarians had been moving into Rome and Roman territory for years. The barbarians adopted Roman civil norms; albeit in a somewhat impoverished form; and the Roman Empire continued on; more or less; with new management; so to speak. There was actually quite a bit of prosperity and lots of trade with the East via the Mediterranean Sea. Upper class had lots of luxury items that were imported. The "Dark Ages" did not start until the rapid Muslim conquest of North Africa; Southeast Europe; and the Eastern Mediterranean area; not to mention Spain and parts of Southern Italy. People fled the coastline and retreated to fortified castle towns to avoid death; destruction; pillaging and conscription into slavery. Trade with the East was cutoff. Population plummeted. Things sucked for 1000 years; more or less until Spain was liberated and the Muslim invasion was halted at the gates of Vienna.This is apparently a controversial theory; but seems absolutely plausible and likely. Tons of archaeological data in the book to support his thesis. Great book if you want some balance to the PC; "religion of peace" mantra that we have to tolerate constantly.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Awesome; eye-openerBy Jim in HollisterThis is an awesome; eye-opener. Basically a forensic tome explaining the dark ages. Highly recommend.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Must readBy Michelle LammGreat book with history you won't get in schools or universities.
