By: Barbara W. Tuchman
Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins

Do you want to experience the end of an Age? The Great War heralded the end of many institutions that traced their heritage back hundreds of years. This lead-up to the war makes the leaders of Europe seem so naive. It really feels like they playing with tin soldiers not expecting to have to melt them down for real bullets.

I really enjoyed the lead-up to and the first days of the war. The mechanisms in place while not medieval are still antiquated. One thing I found fascinating is that many leaders on both sides of the conflict thought the war would not last more than a couple of months, because going to war as a major power was too expensive to maintain.

On another note, I see some similar rhetoric between Germany of the 1910s and China of today. They feel hedged in without the ability to expand and show their power. Only time will tell if China will back its bluster up with actions.