About the book
The Great War between Myth and Fact is a collection of thirty essays dealing with those aspects of the First World War that have been misrepresented in popular history. Written in clear and accessible style, it covers the major themes and debates relating to many of the war’s military, political, economic, societal and cultural aspects, illustrated by specific examples or events. Furthermore, it aims to bring to the surface the perspectives that have often been silenced or marginalized, covering issues such as war guilt and war crimes, suffering of the civilian population, diplomatic intrigue, or the colossal changes in Europe in the post war period. Furthermore, there are several essays on the disintegration processes of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with a special emphasis on the Croatian people and the South Slav state that had emerged from the ashes of Austria-Hungary. Most importantly, the book analyzes and explains the forces and factors that have shaped popular interpretations of the Great War, and provides a fact-based counterpoint to several myths, narratives and misconceptions that have held out to present day.
CONTENTS:
Introduction
1. The Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum to Serbia: Background and Misconceptions
2. Pan-Slavism as a Tool of Russian Imperialism
3. Austria-Hungary and the Idea of Greater Serbia
4. Making a Soldier
5. Ideology in Serbian Military Training
6. Who Were the Bosniaks of Austria-Hungary?
7. Photographs and Propaganda of the Great War
8. Evolution of Military Thought: A Comparison of French and German Examples
9. The Issue of Refugee Camps in Austria-Hungary
10. The Sinking of the Lusitania
11. Were There Significant Differences between German Russian, Italian or Serbian Soldiers?
12. Can Ammunition be Humane?
13. Nicholas Hartwig: Pan-Slavism Personified
14. The German Jihad
15. Arthur Conan Doyle Predicts the Future
16. War Profiteering and Economic Hardship
17. Espionage in the Great War
18. Warrior Women of the Great War
19. Airships Roaming the Sky
20. Railroads and Logistics
21. The Meat Grinder of Verdun
22. Caught in a Storm of Steel
23. The USA Triumphant
24. British Tank Development
25. Remembering the Great War in Italy and Croatia: A Comparison
26. Rethinking the Austro-Hungarian Army
27. Versailles and the Roots of Nazism
28. War Crimes of the Great War in History and Memory
29. The Issue of Serbia’s War Dead
30. The Great War and Croatian-Serbian relations.
