The shortcut to hell on earth

Review of The Guns of August: The Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman

This book covers the first month of World War I. Not yet settled into the quagmire of trench warfare, it was a time when things seemed possible, when the traditional illusions of war – honor, valor, and elan that were supposed to get men through – were giving way to the first wholly realized industrial methods of killing. Tuchman's book is a remarkable reconstruction from the point of view of the principal protagonists, i.e. the politicians, royalty, and military men. She explains how they saw the world, what they were thinking and why, and what they did.

Germany, Tuchman says, was in a kind of imperial fever since her victory over France in 1870, led by a megalomaniacal Emperor (Wilhelm II) whose grip on reality was tenuous. He wanted to dismember France, take Britain's place as the maintainer of the global order (forging an alliance between fellow “Germanics” in the process), and establish suzerainty over Russia; to do so, he was ready to start a war on 2 fronts. French leaders wanted to avenge their 1870 defeat, protect itself, and teach Germany a “lesson”. Great Britain wanted to maintain the balance of power, which worked in favor of its vast empire. Russia feared Germany, but its Emperor was insouciant of just about everything and the recent war lost to Japan was taken as proof of Russia's weakness. These points of view were so entrenched, according to Tuchman, that no negotiation to avoid war (or stop it once started) appeared possible. At any rate, everyone was convinced that war could not last longer than “a few months”, due to the cost, the need to encourage international trade, the certainty of victory, or what have you. The Sarajevo assassination provided the spark for the entire rickety system of alliances to implode.

Imperial Germany had a plan to crush France in a pincher movement, like Hannibal at Cannae, in an early form of blitzkrieg, over about a month. The trouble was, Germany would have to attack France through neutral Belgium, which would engage Great Britain to entangle itself in European affairs. Russia would be dragged in too, as an ally to France. To make matters worse, Germany adopted a strict policy of terror in the occupied territories, retaliating with extreme brutality against any resistance, which set world opinion against it; among other things, in Belgium, medieval Louvain was burned to the ground, an irreplaceable cultural loss in addition to countless civilian lives. Germany's only allies were Turkey, which signed on in the last minute, and Austria-Hungary.

At first, all went well for Germany, though Belgian resistance was surprisingly strong, causing a slowdown in the pincher movement. Then, Russia mobilized for war sooner than anticipated, entering East Prussia in 2 weeks instead of the 6 that everyone expected. To counter this, Germany pulled a few divisions out of France, again slowing its progress; a mistake was made stretching German lines with long gaps, which the Brits and French attacked after much infighting between themselves. Paris was saved in the battle of the Marne, and the forces dug themselves in in accordance with Gallieni's system of trenches. This set the stage for the massive, unprecedented war of attrition we all know.

Tuchman portrays all the personalities involved in wonderful yet not excessive detail. The French Maréchal Joffre was unwaveringly optimistic, pursuing an ineffective offensive counter-attack plan, but his attitude held France together at the right moment. His German counterpart von Moltke obsessively stuck to the Schlieffen Plan, even when his lines were depleted, over-extended, and exhausted from a superhuman effort. The field Marshall John French, though reluctant and attempting to preserve the best British units (3/4 of which were to be killed in the coming months), was convinced finally to join the effort at the Marne. There are scores of other characters, all equally rich in the telling.

If there is one thing I would criticize, it is that the Germans are not given as full a portrait as the others. Tuchman clearly disliked them, which is a bias that detracts from the picture. But this truly is the only shortcoming. This is an engaging narrative, with plenty of analysis thrown in. It deserves its status as a classic.