---
product_id: 40632639
title: "Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I"
price: "363 Lei"
currency: RON
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reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.ro/products/40632639-ring-of-steel-germany-and-austria-hungary-in-world-war
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region: Romania
---

# Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I

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Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I [Watson, Alexander] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I

Review: Significant scholarly contribution to the history of the Central Powers - The study of WWI in the English speaking world has been largely dominated by British historians. While these histories are are good in relaying battles and events, most still tend to have an underlying English/Allied bias and more importantly tend cite mainly British primary sources, to varying degrees German ones (but usually only the more significant works and biographies), and use almost no Austro-Hungarian sources. Although the author is British, he doesn't fall into any of these traps, and presents a uniquely Germanic perspective. That is what makes "Ring of Steel" so essential for a more comprehensive study of the war and the complete picture of the Central Powers' experiences. The book is lengthy, but easy to read. The author's introduction is actually one of the most elegant descriptions I've read concerning the Austrian role in the outbreak of WWI, and I think the casual historian would be impressed with that right off the bat. Of the 788 pages in this book, there are 119 pages of notes and 63 for the bibliography. This book is extensively sourced and it shows in the writing, from behind the scenes communications of the military and government, to correspondence from the frontline soldier to his family (about the war and the mundane). The author effectively makes his point about WWI being "the people's war," where the civilian and military roles are deeply intertwined. This was a characteristic somewhat unique to the Central Powers (and for Russia as well) that can't be conveyed when studying the war from an Allied perspective. The effect of the blockade on the Central Powers' populace is especially detailed and poignant, and the author does a great job of providing facts and figures to both justify and debunk the the propaganda and public opinion of the time. The author is neither an apologist or a revisionist, he is able to present all the sides of the issues as they were understood at the time and obviously from an enlightened 21st century perspective. I don't think anyone can truly understand WWI without reading this book. It is so much more than just a simple relaying of battles and militaristic events as other books concerning the war are and truly cuts to the core of WWI being "the people's war." Obviously, this book wouldn't be one's only source for studying WWI, as it was truly a global event, but I can't think of any other books that do a better job of covering the war from the eyes of the Central Powers.
Review: History From The Other Side - One hundred years ago the guns were blazing across Europe. What was to become World War I started in late July and August of 1914 and eventually involved the six major European powers, a number of smaller states within Europe, and many other nations around the world. Since history is by and large written by the winning side most of the histories of 1914-18 tend to tell the story from the Allies (Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Belgium, Serbia, the US, etc.)'s point of view. Alexander Watson's fascinating and thorough (566 pages plus extensive notes) study tells the story of World War I from "the bad guys'" (Germany and Austria-Hungary) perspective. In the summer of 1914 Germany and Austria-Hungary were two powerful, large empires dominating Central Europe. Despite general prosperity and well-financed militaries, the two Reichs felt under siege by a growing circle of enemies. If they were to have any hope of survival, they must sieze the opportunity to strike hard and fast at their foes. It almost worked: Germany came close to defeating Britain and France in the first month of the war, and Austria-Hungary, after an initial setback, eventually vanquished Serbia and recaptured territory lost to Russia. Unfortunately for the Central Powers, though, the war quickly bogged down into a long bloody slug-fest in which the Allies, with larger resources and greater access to the outside world, had an advantage. Nevertheless German military power was so vast that they came close to victory several times, even though they had to help their weaker Austrian ally and were only forced into submission when their own populations finally rebelled and demanded an end to the fighting.. Watson does an excellent job of clearly depicting the Central Powers at war, from the first exuberant victories through the long drawn out series of bloody confrontations until the final collapse. I enjoyed his descriptions of the ebb and flow of battle and its impact on the civiliain population, like the East Prussians and Galicians who had to deal with Russian invaders. His contrasting descriptions of Germany and Austria-Hungary, one a powerful nation-state with few internal divisions, the other a multi-ethnic and religion conglomeration that was held together only by endless compromises, were really interesting. It was also enlightening to learn more about the rationale for Germany's adoption of unlimited submarine warfare in early 1917, for example, or to read about the hostility with which the German and Austro-Hungarian peoples reacted to poor decisions by their leadership. Most of all I enjoyed Watson's analyses of the many ways in which World War I affected the rest of the twentieth century and into the early twenty-first, including the ways in which invasions and forced migrations eventually helped lay the groundwork for the Holocaust, or in the arrogance with which the Russians treated the Ukrainians,Poles, and Ruthenians. It's a truism that "history is always written by the winners." That's not always accurate, but it is true that studies of World War I have tended to focus on things from the Allies' point of view. Through his use of many primary sources such as diaries and soldiers' letters Watson helps us better understand what it was like to be a soldier or a civilian suffering through the war on "the other side."

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,071,540 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #236 in World War I History (Books) #553 in German History (Books) #3,368 in Historical Study (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (557) |
| Dimensions  | 6 x 2.25 x 9.25 inches |
| Edition  | Reprint |
| ISBN-10  | 0465094880 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0465094882 |
| Item Weight  | 1.82 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 832 pages |
| Publication date  | March 28, 2017 |
| Publisher  | Basic Books |

## Images

![Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81AWlvo2-CL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Significant scholarly contribution to the history of the Central Powers
*by D***D on November 10, 2019*

The study of WWI in the English speaking world has been largely dominated by British historians. While these histories are are good in relaying battles and events, most still tend to have an underlying English/Allied bias and more importantly tend cite mainly British primary sources, to varying degrees German ones (but usually only the more significant works and biographies), and use almost no Austro-Hungarian sources. Although the author is British, he doesn't fall into any of these traps, and presents a uniquely Germanic perspective. That is what makes "Ring of Steel" so essential for a more comprehensive study of the war and the complete picture of the Central Powers' experiences. The book is lengthy, but easy to read. The author's introduction is actually one of the most elegant descriptions I've read concerning the Austrian role in the outbreak of WWI, and I think the casual historian would be impressed with that right off the bat. Of the 788 pages in this book, there are 119 pages of notes and 63 for the bibliography. This book is extensively sourced and it shows in the writing, from behind the scenes communications of the military and government, to correspondence from the frontline soldier to his family (about the war and the mundane). The author effectively makes his point about WWI being "the people's war," where the civilian and military roles are deeply intertwined. This was a characteristic somewhat unique to the Central Powers (and for Russia as well) that can't be conveyed when studying the war from an Allied perspective. The effect of the blockade on the Central Powers' populace is especially detailed and poignant, and the author does a great job of providing facts and figures to both justify and debunk the the propaganda and public opinion of the time. The author is neither an apologist or a revisionist, he is able to present all the sides of the issues as they were understood at the time and obviously from an enlightened 21st century perspective. I don't think anyone can truly understand WWI without reading this book. It is so much more than just a simple relaying of battles and militaristic events as other books concerning the war are and truly cuts to the core of WWI being "the people's war." Obviously, this book wouldn't be one's only source for studying WWI, as it was truly a global event, but I can't think of any other books that do a better job of covering the war from the eyes of the Central Powers.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ History From The Other Side
*by J***D on October 14, 2014*

One hundred years ago the guns were blazing across Europe. What was to become World War I started in late July and August of 1914 and eventually involved the six major European powers, a number of smaller states within Europe, and many other nations around the world. Since history is by and large written by the winning side most of the histories of 1914-18 tend to tell the story from the Allies (Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Belgium, Serbia, the US, etc.)'s point of view. Alexander Watson's fascinating and thorough (566 pages plus extensive notes) study tells the story of World War I from "the bad guys'" (Germany and Austria-Hungary) perspective. In the summer of 1914 Germany and Austria-Hungary were two powerful, large empires dominating Central Europe. Despite general prosperity and well-financed militaries, the two Reichs felt under siege by a growing circle of enemies. If they were to have any hope of survival, they must sieze the opportunity to strike hard and fast at their foes. It almost worked: Germany came close to defeating Britain and France in the first month of the war, and Austria-Hungary, after an initial setback, eventually vanquished Serbia and recaptured territory lost to Russia. Unfortunately for the Central Powers, though, the war quickly bogged down into a long bloody slug-fest in which the Allies, with larger resources and greater access to the outside world, had an advantage. Nevertheless German military power was so vast that they came close to victory several times, even though they had to help their weaker Austrian ally and were only forced into submission when their own populations finally rebelled and demanded an end to the fighting.. Watson does an excellent job of clearly depicting the Central Powers at war, from the first exuberant victories through the long drawn out series of bloody confrontations until the final collapse. I enjoyed his descriptions of the ebb and flow of battle and its impact on the civiliain population, like the East Prussians and Galicians who had to deal with Russian invaders. His contrasting descriptions of Germany and Austria-Hungary, one a powerful nation-state with few internal divisions, the other a multi-ethnic and religion conglomeration that was held together only by endless compromises, were really interesting. It was also enlightening to learn more about the rationale for Germany's adoption of unlimited submarine warfare in early 1917, for example, or to read about the hostility with which the German and Austro-Hungarian peoples reacted to poor decisions by their leadership. Most of all I enjoyed Watson's analyses of the many ways in which World War I affected the rest of the twentieth century and into the early twenty-first, including the ways in which invasions and forced migrations eventually helped lay the groundwork for the Holocaust, or in the arrogance with which the Russians treated the Ukrainians,Poles, and Ruthenians. It's a truism that "history is always written by the winners." That's not always accurate, but it is true that studies of World War I have tended to focus on things from the Allies' point of view. Through his use of many primary sources such as diaries and soldiers' letters Watson helps us better understand what it was like to be a soldier or a civilian suffering through the war on "the other side."

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by F***I on August 14, 2014*

This is a very readable account of WWI as experienced at the time by the German and Austro-Hungarian participants. It succeeds in being at the same time dispassionate and compassionate, chronicling the agonies of warfare with blame laid only on the relatively few on all sides who were morally guilty by the standards of the time. The author shows great skill in including just enough statistical data to explain the forces at work and just enough documentation of personal experience to engage sympathy with protagonists. A particular strength is the attention to civilian morale and the micro-economics which proved so important. The one weakness might have been that it assumes a good knowledge of the geography of, for example, Galicia and East Prussia but this is easily remedied with maps found on the internet.

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