Dreadnought : Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War

From Colonial Disputes, Secret Treaties With Former Foes, High-wire Diplomacy, And Tit-for-tat Building Of The Terrifyingly Powerful Dreadnought Battleships. Dreadnought Is A Dramatic Re-creation Of The Diplomatic And Military Brinkmanship That Preceded, And Made Inevitable, The Outbreak Of The First World War. Massie Brings To Vivid Life Such Historical Figures As The Single-minded Admiral Von Tirpitz, The Young, Ambitious, Winston Churchill, The Ruthless, Sycophantic Chancellor Bernhard Von Bulow, And Many Others. The Relationship Between Queen Victoria And Kaiser Wilhelm Is Particularly Intriguing. Wilhelm's Admiration, And Even Envy, For Everything British, Was To Play An Important Part In The Events To Come. Their Story, And The Story Of The Era, Filled With Misunderstandings, Missed Opportunities, And Events Leading To Unintended Conclusions, Unfolds Like A Greek Tragedy In His Powerful Narrative. Intimately Human And Dramatic, Dreadnought Is History At Its Most Riveting. A gripping chronicle of the personal and national rivalries that led to the twentieth century's first great arms race, from Pulitzer Prize winner Robert K. Massie With the biographer's rare genius for expressing the essence of extraordinary lives, Massie brings to life a crowd of glittery figures: the single-minded Admiral von Tirpitz; the young, ambitious Winston Churchill; the ruthless, sycophantic Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow; Britain's greatest twentieth-century foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey; and Jacky Fisher, the eccentric admiral who revolutionized the British navy and brought forth the first true battleship, the H.M.S. Dreadnought. Their story, and the story of the era, filled with misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and events leading to unintended conclusions, unfolds like a Greek tragedy in this powerful narrative. Intimately human and dramatic, Dreadnought is history at its most riveting. Praise for Dreadnought “Dreadnought is history in the grand manner, as most people prefer it: how people shaped, or were shaped by, events.”—Time “A classic [that] covers superbly a whole era... engrossing in its glittering gallery of characters.”—Chicago Sun-Times “[Told] on a grand scale... Massie [is] a master of historical portraiture and anecdotage.”—The Wall Street Journal “Brilliant on everything he writes about ships and the sea. It is Massie's eye for detail that makes his nautical set pieces so marvelously evocative.”—Los Angeles Times

"A classic [that] covers superbly a whole era...Engrossing in its glittering gallery of characters."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Robert K. Massie has written a richly textured and gripping chronicle of the personal and national rivalries that led to the twentieth century's first great arms race. Massie brings to vivid life, such historical figures as the single-minded Admiral von Tirpitz, the young, ambitious, Winston Churchill, the ruthless, sycophantic Chancellor Bernhard von Bulow, and many others. Their story, and the story of the era, filled with misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and events leading to unintended conclusions, unfolds like a Greek tratedy in his powerful narrative. Intimately human and dramatic, DREADNOUGHT is history at its most riveting.

The author of the international bestseller Nicholas and Alexandra and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Peter the Great has written a richly textured and gripping chonicle of the personal and national rivalries that led to the 20th century's first great arms race. Massie brings to life glittering figures from Winston Churchill to Sir Edward Grey to Jacky Fisher, the eccentric admiral who brought forth the first true battleship, H.M.S. Dreadnought. Two 16-page inserts.

Describes the diplomatic minuets and military brinkmanship as Germany grew to be a continental superpower at the end of the nineteenth century and became a threat to Great Britain's naval superiority and isolationist policies. This is a chronicle of the coming of World War I in which the author focuses chiefly on Britain and Germany. It tells the story of the personalities, events and optimism that propelled the world towards war Illuminates the personal rivalries and ambitions behind World War I, and discusses kings, cabinet ministers, and military men