The Sleepwalkers
by Christopher Clark · first published 2013
70% recommend20% neutral10% critical
Why HN recommends it
A detailed, well-researched account of the diplomatic and political factors that led Europe into the First World War, offering a gripping narrative for anyone seeking to understand the origins of 1914.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
On the morning of June 28, 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie Chotek, arrived at Sarajevo railway station, Europe was at peace. Thirty-seven days later, it was at war. The conflict that resulted would kill more than fifteen million people, destroy three empires, and permanently alter world history. The Sleepwalkers reveals in gripping detail how the crisis leading to World War I unfolded. Drawing on fresh sources, it traces the paths to war in a minute-by-minute, action-packed narrative that cuts among the key decision centers in Vienna, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Paris, Lon
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This is pretty weak tea. I didn't comment on it just to trash the author, though. If you're interested in the conditions and events that led up to WWI, it's a great story. Check out "The Sleepwalkers". It's a great book on the subject. https://www.amazon.com/Sleepwalkers-How-Europe-Went-1914/dp/... Using history as a jumping off point for political rhetoric is a neat device. I love it when authors…
I have. May I suggest a book called "The Sleepwalkers". http://www.amazon.com/The-Sleepwalkers-Europe-Went-1914/dp/0... My comments on the effects of military power come from first hand experience.
on “Uncomfortable parallels with the era that led to the first world war” ↗Anyone interested in this, please read "The Sleepwalkers" by Christopher Clark. Its an in depth documentation of all the factors leading up to the war. Its absolutely enthralling, I can't put it down.
on “How powerful was the Kaiser?” ↗…Pieces yet, to my eternal shame as I read this thread, but that might also be added on this list by the time I'm complete. 4) On the right-hemisphere side of the brain, books such as Christopher Clark's "Sleepwalkers", Jonathan Smele's treatment of the Russian Civil War, and Richard Thornton's "Odd Man Out" on the Korean War have been useful in teaching me to dig deeper than the standard narrative when looking at…
on “Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?” ↗…the argument, although its academic cousin continues on today. A lot of stuff was published around 2010-2014 in preparation for the centenary. I always recommend people check out Christopher Clark's The Sleepwalkers, because it's a really magnificent book. Maybe just a step below Richard Rhodes' The Making of the Atomic Bomb (in terms of just really truly great writing of history) but just as worthwhile to read.
on “World War I dangers in France's red zones” ↗…it's been more then 10 years since I read it) it's a history of people innovating. I remember really enjoying the way it tries to get at the whys and the hows of people coming up with good ideas. The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 Christopher Clark The origin of WWI is a story that's been told repeatedly. This version is delightfully depressing. I can't quite describe the book. If you say X happening…
on “Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?” ↗…the 1990s), that politicians and generals didn't actually believe in the "short-war illusion" and they were actually fully prepared for the long, bloody stalemate that happened. Christopher Clark's The Sleepwalkers is a popular book containing much of this new research. Some examples from this kind of research: Prussian General & Chancellor von Caprivi warned that war against France alone would be "tenacious and…
on “Colonial violence came home in the First World War” ↗The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 by Christopher Clark already seems to be a classic. Didn't read it yet, though.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗Importantly, _Serbia_ wanted to cause a war that would pit Austria against Russia. One of the parts of https://www.amazon.com/Sleepwalkers-How-Europe-Went-1914/dp/... that struck me was the offhand mention that Serbia was the one country involved that accomplished all of its foreign policy goals as a result of WWI. I suspect that even if…
on “Fritz Haber: A Monster Who Fed the World” ↗…into and no influence on the course of things, the leaders and classes who do are by no means "sleepwalking". Such wording is of course an allusion to Australian author Christopher Clark's 2012 book The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914. The book is very detailed, but still a big lie in the overall narrative, meant to gloss over the fact that a clique in the British establishment had spent at least ten…
on “Are we sleepwalking into World War III?” ↗