The Vanquished : Why the First World War Failed to End, 1917-1923
4.17 (1,273 ratings by Goodreads)
Paperback English
By (author) Robert Gerwarth


Categories: General & World History European History 20th Century History: C 1900 To C 2000 Revolutions, Uprisings, Rebellions Genocide & Ethnic Cleansing World War 1 Books World War 2 Books


A breathtaking, magisterial panorama, telling the epic story of post-war anarchy, dying empires and rising nation states. It makes us rethink our understanding of Europes twentieth century David Motadel, The Times Literary Supplement

For the Western allies 11 November 1918 has always been a solemn date - the end of fighting which had destroyed a generation, and also a vindication of a terrible sacrifice with the total collapse of their principal enemies: the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. But for much of the rest of Europe this was a day with no meaning, as a continuing, nightmarish series of conflicts engulfed country after country. In this highly original, gripping book Robert Gerwarth asks us to think again about the true legacy of the First World War.

Lucid, incisive and packed with fascinating details Financial Times, Books of the Year

Important and timely ... obliges us to reconsider a period and a battlefront that has too often been neglected Margaret MacMillan, The New York Times Review of Books

This narrative of continent-wide chaos performs a valuable service by chronicling the postwar turmoil of Europe ... helps us understand why few wars reach tidy conclusions Max Hastings, Sunday Times

Reminds us, in vivid and often shocking detail, that only some countries saw killing end on the 11th day of the 11th month ... leaves a sense of foreboding for our own time Robert Tombs, The Times


Product details

Format Paperback | 464 pages
Dimensions 129 x 198 x 21mm | 343g
Publication date 29 Jun 2017
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Publication City/Country London, United Kingdom
Language English
ISBN13 9780141976372
Bestsellers rank 39,418