The Great War cover art

The Great War

1914-1918

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The Great War

By: Peter Hart
Narrated by: Roger Davis
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About this listen

The Great War was the first truly global conflict and it changed the course of world history.

In this magnum opus, critically acclaimed historian Peter Hart examines the conflict in every arena around the world, in a history that combines cutting-edge scholarship with vivid and unfamiliar eyewitness accounts, from kings and generals, and ordinary soldiers. He focuses in particular on explaining how technology and tactics developed during the conflict - and determines which battles were crucial to its outcome. Combatants from every corner of Earth joined the fray, but their voices are rarely heard together. This is a major history of the conflict whose centenary has just passed.

This is a pioneering and comprehensive account of the First World War, comparable to Anthony Beevor or Max Hastings.

©2014 Peter Hart (P)2014 Hachette Audio UK Military War Imperialism Royalty King Hungary

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All stars
Most relevant  
Not sure about the various accents used by the narrator. A little cringe worthy. But it does not detract from an interesting and well presented piece of work.

It does take a point of view that the Western front was the only one which really counted but does not scrimp on the campaigns elsewhere. including the Sea war both on the surface and underwater.

Uses material from all sides not just the Entente point of view.

Not a day to day account of soldiers lives but a look at the strategy and basic tactics, how they developed and some of the known thinking behind them. However, as you might expect from this author, it is illustrated throughout by eye witness accounts of what those decisions meant on the battlefield.

Overall a very good read which will give a reader an understanding of the general conduct of the war in all major theatres.

The Great Read

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a lot of hard work going into this book impressive research incredible detailed history

detailed history

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Well read and informative. The quotes from the combatants are interwoven into the descriptions of the battles and really bring home the reality of what it was like for those who served at every level.

The best WW1 book I have read or listened to

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I am reasonably familiar with the history around WW2 but my knowledge of The Great War was mainly based on the narratives of "Lions led by Donkeys" and "Moving General Haig's drinks cabinet 6 inches closer to Berlin". This book throughly examines the mindsets of the main powers and the fears, motives and mistakes that led to war. It then charts year by year the main campaigns of the Western, Eastern and Mediterranean/Arabic fronts. So if you want a comprehensive accessible history of WW1 this is it. Lastly I came away with a much greater respect For Douglas Haig he is certainly one of our greatest if not the greatest General the British army has ever produced.

Engrossing and Informative

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narrator sounds like an English William Shatner, just about tolerable. The personal stories bring the awful truth into vivid focus.

Great detail, poor narration

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well read interesting and informative lots of stuff outside the western front, refreshing. Also lot on Western Front

Great stuff

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I found this to be an outstanding retelling of that titanic war which killed millions of soldiers, destroyed countless lives and ended four European empires. The scale of these battles, and the absolute misery the soldiers had to endure is retold in detail, while also giving a good overview. I whole heartedly recommend this audiobook to anyone who is interested in WW1, and wants to know more about it.

The narrator did an great job as well.

Great insight into WW1

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This was very informative and changed my perspective of the war. An excellent listen.

Outstanding and, in places, grim.

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For a single volume, this book is wide-ranging. It covers the main military actions of the war on land and at sea (as well as the impact of the emerging air forces); it discusses the political imperatives that drove the generals; the background and after-effects of the war; and its legacy today. At the same time, the author uses first-hand accounts effectively throughout. He also challenges a number of the prevalent myths about the Great War.

Very good as an introduction to the subject, as an overview, or as a refresher, and an enjoyable and instructive listen.

A Good One-Volume Overview

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An excellent listen for any student of WW1, with much background information not previously used.

A good listen.

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