1917
War, Peace, and Revolution
David Stevenson
Reviews and Awards
This is an excellent book. Forget the 'on the one hand this', and 'on the other hand that' typical of most book reviews - just go out and buy yourself a copy. - John Spencer, Stand To! Magazine
A welcome addition to the literature that challenges the all-too-safe and pernicious stereotypes of the history of the First World War that unfortunately still dominate popular culture. - Peter Morgan, Military History Magazine
1917 will be of great interest to those readers who wish to better understand the broader implications of strategic and diplomatic decisions during the penultimate year of the conflict. It is in that field that Stevenson is an unrivalled master and his comprehensively researched book on 1917 will be welcomed by many. - Robert Gerwarth, Literary Review
1917 is a triumph by a masterly historian, and one of the most important books to have been published during the centenary years of the First World War. - Gary Sheffield, BBC History Magazine
David Stevenson's book is a cool and original account of the heat of war in 1917. It surpasses previous studies in terms of its global range and its archival depth. Here is a history of decision-making by the sleepwalkers who kept on their murky path into war three years after its outbreak, and of those few - including Lenin - who found a way out of the slaughterhouse. Stevenson's is history as tragedy, with hubris bringing down those who thought they could master the destructive forces of the Great War. - Jay Winter, Yale University
The European nations had dug themselves by 1917 into a war trap seemingly without exit - this is the starting point of David Stevenson's new book. The events of 1917, war, peace, and revolution, the struggle to get out of the war, get here a thorough reassessment. The book is an example for the combination of competent analysis with a gripping narrative and clear judgement. - Holger Afflerbach, University of Leeds
