The First World War (1) The Eastern Front 1914–1918

by JUKES, GEOFFREY

• ISBN13: 9781841763422
• ISBN10: 184176342X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-25
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Summary

This book unravels the complicated and tragic events of the Eastern Front in the First World War. The author details Russia's sudden attack on German forces, despite her inadequate resources. A crushing defeat at Tannenberg was followed by Germany inflicting humiliation after humiliation on desperate Russian troops. For a while, those forces led by General Brusilov and facing Austria-Hungary fared better, but in the end this front too collapsed. Morale plummeted, the army began to disintegrate, and the Tsar was forced to abdicate - paving the way for the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917.

Author Biography

After leaving Oxford in 1953 Geoffrey Jukes spent 14 years in the UK Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Colonial Office, specialising in Russian/Soviet military history, strategy and arms control. From 1967 to 1993 he was also on the staff of the Australian National University. He has written five books and numerous articles on the Eastern Front in the two World Wars.

Table of Contents

Introduction	7	(2)
Chronology	9	(2)
Warring sides
Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary	11	(8)
The fighting
From war to revolution	19	(50)
Portrait of a soldier
A trooper an ensign and a sergeant	69	(7)
The world around war
The last days of Tsarist Russia	76	(5)
Portrait of a civilian
`Living on cereals and porridge'	81	(3)
How the war ended
The Bolsheviks seize power	84	(6)
Conclusion and consequences
The emergence of a superpower	90	(3)
Further reading	93	(1)
Index	94