The proud tower
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The fateful quarter-century leading up to the Great War comes magnificently to life in these pages. It was a time when the world of Privilege still existed in Olympian luxury and the world of Protest was "heaving in its pain, its power and its hate." The age was the climax of a century of the most accelerated rate of change in man's record, a cataclysmic shaping of destiny. In portraying this world Barbara Tuchman concentrates on society rather than the state. Her aim, as she writes in her foreword, is "to discover the quality of the world from which the Great War came." - Jacket flap.
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Even though it's 60 years old, this book was a wonderful introduction to the end of the long 19th century. Instead of merely recounting what happened, Tuchman tries to capture the spirit of the times, and she does this very well. Still, I found a significant amount of the book wanting. Reading through a mini-biography of Strauss was extremely boring. Additionally, I was especially disappointed to find that any discussion of Russia was just not present. This book focuses exclusively on Britain, France, Germany, and America.
What redeemed the book in my eyes was the ending. The last chapter about the socialists was extremely moving, and Tuchman captured the times very well. All the hopes and dreams, forgotten overnight on account of petty nationalism.
