By the time the First World War ended in 1918, eight million people had died in what had been perhaps the most apocalyptic episode the world had known. This Very Short Introduction provides a concise and insightful history of ‘the Great War’, focusing on why it happened, how it was fought, and why it had the consequences it did. Written by one of the most pre-eminent military historians Each chapter deals in turn with a particular period in the war, from its beginnings to the eventual surrender of the Central Powers and the settlement Succinct and accessible, guiding the reader through the major controversies that still surround the history of the war There is no other short book about World War I on the market written by an author of Michael Howard’s stature
