Book description
The Great War not only destroyed the lives of over twenty million
soldiers and civilians, it also ushered in a century of huge political
and social upheaval, led directly to the Second World War and altered
for ever the mechanisms of governments. And yet its causes, both long
term and immediate, have continued to be shrouded in mystery.
In Europe's Last Summer, David Fromkin reveals a new pattern
in the happenings of that fateful July and August, which leads in
unexpected directions. Rather than one war, starting with the
assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, he sees two conflicts,
related but not inseparably linked, whose management drew Europe and
the world into what The Economist described as early as 1914 as
'perhaps the greatest tragedy in human history'.
David Fromkin is Professor of International Relations, History, and
Law at Boston University. He is the author of
In the Time of the Americans
and
A Peace to End All Peace
, which was a finalist for both the National Book Critics Circle Award
and the Pulitzer Prize.
