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, … 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
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This book and its companion Castles of Steel provide an excellent introduction, not only to naval thinking and technology in the years leading up to and including WWI, but also to the political situation, including the personalities involved, which brought about the First World War. Jackie Fisher comes over as one of the heroes of the period, and …
Very well written history that focuses on pre-WWI naval arms race with in much broader overview of pre-war diplomacy. Sequel “Castles of Steel”, focused more narrowly on WWI naval combat, also excellent
One of the finest history books I’ve ever read, relating the political history of the quarter century prior to WW1, with emphasis on Britain and Germany. Absolutely brilliant. A must read. A++
Ever wonder how World War I got started and why battleships became the “castles” of the seas? Dreadnought examines the insane arms race between England and Germany for dominance of the sea, including the fact that both sides wanted to stop the insanity and discovered that once started there is no stopping.
An excellent book for anyone who wants to understand the entanglements that lead to World War I. The constant one-upmanship practiced by the European powers in their pursuit of national pride extracted a deadly price on the world.It is long, but very worth the read.
Dreadnought is one of the most fascinating narrative histories I know. It covers the build-up to World War I, looking at the missteps that drove England and Germany to fight each other on the sea, despite their firm intent to avoid war. The story involves a large, rich cast of characters, and the lessons learned are relevant to the struggle among …
The first chapters were long, boring, and had nothing to do with dreadnoughts.
Dry with far too much detail of various royal families leading to WWI
This book says very little about Dreadnoughts. It deals mostly with politics. I thought I would learn about the ships and was very disappointed. I couldn’t finish it. Waste of time.
Ilearned alot in this book
Solid military history for the motivated reader.
Massie is an excellent popular historian, but I liked his sequel, Castles of Steel, much better: more naval action, less political maneuvering
Thoroughly researched and exhaustingly detailed but very very readable none the less. Some of the historical figures that started the first world war have amazing stories that are now unknown. Well worth the time to read.
In depth investigation of the causes, and personalities, leading to the First World War. I found it to be very interesting. Good read for the historian.
Fantastic history of Victorian Europe and how WW1 was a Family Feud.
Once I got started I could not stop. It is very thorough but provides details of the individuals involved that makes the history way more interesting. Took a while to finish but it was time well spent.
Interesting perspective on the emergence of battleships as critical elements of national images although they were more of a threat than a serious difference-maker in wars of the time covered. Well-researched and quite informative.
Excellent book that uses HMS Dreadnaught as a vehicle to discuss naval expansion before WWI. Highly recommended…
Great history – Britain and Germany and the incredibly complicated politics that led to WWII.
many mini biographies, from Bismark and the crown princes to WWI