The Myth Of The Great War
(John Mosier)
Any book about the First World War written today treads on shallow water when it comes to introducing new viewpoints. This is one book that challenges the old opinions of the Twentieth Century writers, but in quite an ordinary way. Mr. Mosier uses statistics and archival evidence very rarely explored to suggest that the Great War was being won by Germany, and in a convincing manner, and that the United States played the deciding role more convincingly than many have chosen to admit.
Much of the book covers theories and opinions covered from other writers who have basically written that the Allied nations, usually referred to as the Entente, were winning the war because they were quite simply "bleeding" Germany and Austria to death. This book, however, disputes that by showing the true numbers from not only recently disclosed papers from various national files, but from already accepted numbers and facts sometimes ignored by professionals. It is also quite discouaging to note that the author somewhat proves that the Allied nations were using more propaganda than the Central Powers may have been. One only needs to investigate the sources to see whether that is true or not. One thing is certain; the purpose of this book is not in dispute. There are many questions that can be asked after reading the information provided here, especially the casualty lists and the contrast between these lists today and what the leaders and historians were writing back then. It is a lesson in humility, if anything, that anyone interested in those earlier times will see and understand.
The reader may often feel, in reading this book, that what we know about the First World War is not the truth. Caution is issued here not to overemphasize the point that authors many times make points that others do not see, but this is up to the individual reader him/herself to decide. In any event, this is must reading for any student of the era, especially the events from 1914 to 1918, and it will make you scratch your head.
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