When the WW I armistice was declared, the violence did not really end. In many ways it seemed to begin again. Traditional history books see 1918 as the end of WW I, restoring the world to peace. Gerwarth uses this book to show that the war did not really end in 1918 and that the end of the war unleashed countless other conflicts.

The great thing about this book is that it provides an overview of what happened throughout Europe in the years after the war ended. This is also the disadvantage of the book - so much happened in so many different countries that it is often difficult for the reader to keep things straight. The information provided is invaluable but the book is a challenge to read.

Gerwarth has recently published November 1918 about the revolution in Germany. This is a much better book because it can focus more. ( )

A well-written and vivid account of the immediate post-war period of 1917-1923 in East-Central Europe. Covers the most significant issues and conflicts with appropriate detail, emphasising the rise of revolutionary and nationalist paramilitarism and the great extent of hardship and brutal atrocity. For many countries, this period was even more severe than the Great War preceding it, and has left a deeper scar in national memory. This period’s significance, for Gerwarth, is that its upheaval, extremism, and diplomacy laid the foundation for the Second World War. The book’s scope is tightly reined and so, to its absolute merit, over a third of the book’s length is comprised of endnotes and bibliography, meaning that there is plentiful further reading to be perused by anyone interested in the hundreds of micro-topics tackled. For an overview, this is everything I would hope for in history-writing, and the fact that it is highly engaging and smartly structured is an added bonus. ( )

Very readable and well argued outline of the “revolutions” that took place in the Ottoman Empire, Eastern and Central Europe from 1917, as a result directly or indirectly of the Great War.
Although I was aware of the largest two events discussed, the 1917 Russian Revolution and the 1922 breakup of the Ottoman Empire, there were useful descriptions of these and events in Germany, together with succinct details of the political changes in Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Spain and Italy, before returning to the situation in Germany and Hitler’s unsuccessful 1923 attempt in Munich to emulate Mussolini’s 1922 coup.
Later chapters usefully précis’s the creation of the Middle Eastern Arab nations from the Balfour agreement that provided for a Jewish homeland, and the Greek invasion of Anatolia and creation of the Turkish state from the core of the Ottoman Empire.
There was also discussion of fascinating subjects that had previously completely passed me by, such as irredentism (a political and popular movement whose members claim (usually on behalf of their nation) and seek to occupy territory which they consider "lost" (or "unredeemed"), based on history or legend), especially in relation to Italy’s and Greece’s attempts to increase its European territory and create a colonial empire.
The balance between detail and overview in a synthesising work of history like this is difficult, and at times it did feel as if Gedwarth was providing too many names and descriptions of changing political alliances, but this is a minor issue for a book covering events in so many countries. There are also a few useful maps at the beginning of the book and about thirty photos showing key personalities and events, together with copious notes and substantial bibliography.
Overall I really enjoyed and learned from this book, which helps expand my understanding of recent European history. ( )

Great stuff: puts lots of meat on the bones of my assumption that 'WWI led to WWII,' by showing how revolution, civil war, and the collapse of empires destabilized huge swathes of central and Eastern Europe. Also, despite the blurbs, not all that 'epic.' In fact, pleasantly short, the kind of book I might have time to re-read, just so it really sinks in. ( )

Many stories some more interesting than others; short on analysis. I found details of goings on in Bulgaria to remote and outside the mainstream of history; the chapter on Russia I could have written myself; the Goldilocks item was on the Greek invasion of Asia Minor where I was well-versed in the outline but this filled in a lot of detail, especially the direct responsibility of Venizelos. My audio version marred by the all-too-common mangling of foreign names (e.g. Venízelos instead of Venizélos) - why can't they take a bit of trouble to find out if they don't know!

Peacemakers 1919 by Margaret MacMillian covers similar ground more systematically. ( )