The Guns of August

The Guns of August is a 1962 Pulitzer Prize-winning book of nonfiction by Barbara W. Tuchman. Tuchman achieved prominence as a historian with her third book, The Zimmerman Telegram, and international fame with The Guns of August. Encompassing the European political arena from King Edward VII’s death through the first month of World War I, The Guns of August offers clarity on the causes of the war, its inevitability, and how it shaped the modern world. Prominent themes include The Ripple Effects of Individual Actions; War Is Caused by Hubris, Not Inequity; and The Courage of Ordinary Soldiers Versus the Military Machine.

Content Warning: The source material contains descriptions of conflict-related violence, including war crimes against civilians.

Plot Summary

King Edward VII of England dies in May 1910, and his funeral marks the end of the old order. Edward VII had represented the grandeur of the English empire under his mother, Queen Victoria, and his brief rule from 1901 to 1910 was synonymous with the leisured elite.

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (the German empire at the time consisted of Prussia, Bavaria, and many other smaller municipalities united by necessity during the Franco-Prussian War) believes that Edward has sought a policy of German “encirclement,” wooing allies to surround and isolate Germany. Germany believes it should be the leader of the world, not England. This belief, along with the Kaiser’s idea that the other countries of the world are closing Germany in, leads to the start of World War I.

For years, both Germany and France have been preparing for another war. The French still remember the War of 1870, a conflict between France and Germany that resulted in the French loss of Alsace-Lorraine. The Germans think the French are too decadent to rule. Germany’s plan involves an invasion of Belgium and a massive sweep into France. The French plan involves attacking through the Alsace-Lorraine region, where the French believe the Germans will be weak.

Germany must also worry about Russia and England—Russia because it has declared war on the German ally Austria-Hungary for invading Serbia (in retaliation for the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand), and England because of its close relationship with France. To this end, Germany prepares for war on two fronts, though the Kaiser attempts to avoid one. He makes overtures to England and Belgium, hoping they will stand aside, but when both plans fail, Germany invades, intending to cow its enemies with terror through swiftness (their design is known as the Schlieffen Plan). Belgian resistance helps slow the German juggernaut. Because of the delay, the German army kills Belgian civilians, and when reports of this appear in the newspaper, the entire world turns against Germany.

As the Germans march through Belgium, the British arrive, but both they and the French are thrown back everywhere except the far center. The Russians attack the Eastern Front, an area stretching from Russia over much of Eastern Europe, and though they are forced to retreat as well, the German losses are enough that the German high command moves two divisions to the Eastern Front.

These seemingly small occurrences—the Belgians slowing the German movement, Russia attacking and causing the transfer of two divisions, one spot in the French line holding on—will eventually turn the tide of the war. Both Germany and France have detailed plans to win the war in a matter of months. Both their plans fail, and as the first few weeks of the fighting come to a point, the Germans march on Paris. The French are in retreat, as are the British.

What occurs then is one of the pivotal moments of the war. German General von Kluck, wanting to win the war and adhere to Germany’s swift timeline for decisive victory, pursues the retreating French army. This pursuit leaves an opportunity for the French, and with two divisions of German soldiers sent East, a small French force holding the center, and the German losses in Belgium due to the resistance there, the French counterattack causes the Germans to retreat. Afterward, the war will stretch on for years, bringing a loss of life unimaginable at that time.