The War That Ended Peace

The Road to 1914

By: Margaret MacMillan

Narrated by: Richard Burnip

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The New York Times Book Review • The Economist • The Christian Science Monitor • Bloomberg Businessweek • The Globe and Mail

From the bestselling and award-winning author of Paris 1919 comes a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, a fascinating portrait of Europe from 1900 up to the outbreak of World War I.

The century since the end of the Napoleonic wars had been the most peaceful era Europe had known since the fall of the Roman Empire. In the first years of the twentieth century, Europe believed it was marching to a golden, happy, and prosperous future. But instead, complex personalities and rivalries, colonialism and ethnic nationalisms, and shifting alliances helped to bring about the failure of the long peace and the outbreak of a war that transformed Europe and the world.

The War That Ended Peace brings vividly to life the military leaders, politicians, diplomats, bankers, and the extended, interrelated family of crowned heads across Europe who failed to stop the descent into war: in Germany, the mercurial Kaiser Wilhelm II and the chief of the German general staff, Von Moltke the Younger; in Austria-Hungary, Emperor Franz Joseph, a man who tried, through sheer hard work, to stave off the coming chaos in his empire; in Russia, Tsar Nicholas II and his wife; in Britain, King Edward VII, Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, and British admiral Jacky Fisher, the fierce advocate of naval reform who entered into the arms race with Germany that pushed the continent toward confrontation on land and sea.

There are the would-be peacemakers as well, among them prophets of the horrors of future wars whose warnings went unheeded: Alfred Nobel, who donated his fortune to the cause of international understanding, and Bertha von Suttner, a writer and activist who was the first woman awarded Nobel’s new Peace Prize. Here too we meet the urbane and cosmopolitan Count Harry Kessler, who noticed many of the early signs that something was stirring in Europe; the young Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty and a rising figure in British politics; Madame Caillaux, who shot a man who might have been a force for peace; and more. With indelible portraits, MacMillan shows how the fateful decisions of a few powerful people changed the course of history.

Taut, suspenseful, and impossible to put down, The War That Ended Peace is also a wise cautionary reminder of how wars happen in spite of the near-universal desire to keep the peace. Destined to become a classic in the tradition of Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August, The War That Ended Peace enriches our understanding of one of the defining periods and events of the twentieth century.

Praise for The War That Ended Peace

“Magnificent . . . The War That Ended Peace will certainly rank among the best books of the centennial crop.”—The Economist

“Superb.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Masterly . . . marvelous . . . Those looking to understand why World War I happened will have a hard time finding a better place to start.”—The Christian Science Monitor

“The debate over the war’s origins has raged for years. Ms. MacMillan’s explanation goes straight to the heart of political fallibility. . . . Elegantly written, with wonderful character sketches of the key players, this is a book to be treasured.”—The Wall Street Journal

“A magisterial 600-page panorama.”—Christopher Clark, London Review of Books

Phenomenal WW1 Overview

I loved seeing the parallels to today's world. I'll definitely be rereading. I particularly appreciated the parts about Lord Salisbury. Super fascinating and has helped me have a better understanding of WW1

HOW VAIN AND CLOSED MINDED THE LEADERS WERE—AND STILL ARE!

Save face, save face, everybody save face. Then 10s of millions die in war. What a waste!

Growing up in the 60s and 70s, I remember how the rationale for continuing the Vietnam War articulated by Nixon and Kissinger was something like ‘what would the world think if the US pulled out? It would embolden our enemies….communism would take over IndoChina…American prestige would suffer’. How many people died as that war dragged on and on for nothing? Nothing!! Today Vietnam, though socialist politically. is capitalist economically. What a waste!

Why are our leaders small minded, vain, cruel, and generally ignorant of history and quick to war? We are heading toward another world war today for similar reasons as in 1914.

Fantastic

I can’t get enough of Margaret MacMillan. Great wealth of knowledge. WW1 is now my favorite conflict to read about.

Excellent review of background and causes of WWI

Would you listen to The War That Ended Peace again? Why?

Yes. Ms. MacMillan is a marvelous historian and this book does not disappoint. Moreover, the narrator is excellent. A real pleasure to listen to.

What about Richard Burnip’s performance did you like?

Just all around excellent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Extremely comprehensive

My interest ran out before the book did. I did manage to finish, but it took self discipline.