One of the deadliest wars in world history, the First World War, lasted from July 1914 to November 1918 It was one of the first wars to be defined as a world war. This basically means that all the superpowers in the world were fighting and therefore the entire world was affected. The world powers all came together and were part of two groups. The first group was the Allies, made up of France, the British Empire and the Russian Empire. The second group was the Central Powers, consisting of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany. In The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman examines the months leading up to the war and its early months. Specifically, she focused her narrative on the military history aspect of the First World War. Overall, Tuchman depicts an extraordinary prelude to World War I, such as the decisions of the superpowers involved and the world events that affected the war. It was described by critic Samuel R. Williamson Jr. as "one of the finest works in history... [and has been on] the bestseller list for over forty weeks." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Tuchman begins her book by illustrating her thought process behind her work and the methods she used. It begins with an introduction that illustrates the need for facts and connections to accurately describe the First World War. In the foreword, written by Robert Massie. In this foreword, Massie reflects on Tuchman's writing process and how she describes her work. On page xi, Massie states that regarding Tuchman's work, she asked many questions and "[her] research was also aimed at finding out...what really happened." In other words, Tuchman's question would be: "What actually happened during the prelude and first months of the First World War?" On page xi there is another question; Massie describes Tuchman's efforts to understand "what the people present really felt?" In other words, Tuchman's question would be: "How did World War I feel to those involved?" In the author's note, Tuchman herself once again reiterates this question and how she answered it throughout her book. In the author's note, Tuchman then explains how she answered these questions. In seeking answers to these research questions, Tuchman gathered large amounts of information from various types of sources. On page xxiv, Tuchman states that the answer to the first question was based on evidence from the documents she collected and even that "all the weather conditions...in the following pages [of the novel] have documentary support ". Some examples of documents she used to answer this question are primary sources of battle orders, telegrams, secret codes, maps, and weather reports. On page xxiv, Tuchman states, with regard to the second question, that she had a "total immersion in military memories... [and] any... thoughts or feelings, in public or private states of mind... Having documentary support”. Like the first question, this question is also omnipresent throughout the novel. It is therefore difficult to identify the documents used to answer this question. Nonetheless, some examples of primary sources she used to answerthis issue are letters, memoirs, dairy diaries and pictures. However, Tuchman's approach now moves away from the classical historiographical approach. His study is more of a descriptive history than a pure analysis. In a book review, Jeanne Lombardo states that Tuchman used "the historicist technique of combining documentary evidence with the powers of the imagination... [which she] uses to paint a vivid, vivid picture." vivid picture of the events and individuals of August 1914." It is important for readers to understand that even though Tuchman does not clearly state what his analysis is, that does not mean that it is nonexistent. Tuchman uses his materials in a manner that creates an eloquent story. Tuchman supports this idea when she states that she believes that "the very process of transforming a collection of personalities, dates, gun calibers, letters, and speeches into a narrative ultimately traces the 'why' back to the surface” (xii). It is also important to include Ulrich Trumpener's interpretation. He states in his book review published in The Journal of Modern History that The Guns of August was a great narrative work, but "as a scholarly contribution to the history of the First World War it is far from satisfactory... [Tuchman's] story is only partially based on the best available evidence… [and contains] oversimplifications. Trumpener continues to discuss how The Guns of August increasingly left out information about certain countries' contributions to the war. Nonetheless, Tuchman addressed this issue in her author's note where she stated that there had been omissions on certain fronts throughout her book. Of these omissions, she states that they were "outside my chronological limits and it seemed to me that there was a unity without there being the prospect of tedious length if they were included" (xxiv ). Personally, I believe that his descriptions were all based on fact and that the omission of certain aspects was essential. Indeed, this would have been detrimental to his interpretations and, consequently, to his narrative descriptions. Overall, Tuchman's extensive research through primary and secondary sources regarding World War I led her study to revolve around what she believes truly led to the war. She has had many interpretations from her analysis of the documents. She specifically thought there were about four reasons why this war started. The first reason, she says, is due to a misconception about free trade and the idea that it would end a war because people would want to avoid the economic consequences. This idea can be shown on page 12, where Tuchman states: Lord Esher gave lectures on the lesson of The Great Illusion at Cambridge and the Sorbonne in which he showed how "new economic factors clearly prove the inanity of wars of aggression. A 20th century war would be of such magnitude, he said, that its inevitable consequences of "commercial disaster, financial ruin and individual suffering" would be "so heavy with restraining influences" as to make the unthinkable war. In this quote, Tuchman illustrates the belief that war was considered unthinkable because of the economic effects it would have. Tuchman uses a source that includes the preaching of someone considered highly learned to prove this point. The second reason Tuchman believed the war happened this way was due to ideologies regarding war. Tuchman believed thatcountries involved placed too much emphasis on the idea of ​​a quick war and maintaining the offensive. She demonstrates this idea on page 372, where she states: Clausewitz [a German] had described terror as the proper method of shortening war, his whole theory of war being based on the necessity of making it short, sharp and decisive. . The civilian population must not be exempt from wars, the estimate fax feels its pressure and is forced to take the harshest measures to force its leaders to make peace. In this quote, Tuchman illustrates his thinking that the war happened this way because the leaders of the nations involved believed that the war was bound to be quick and short. This specific example revolves around the German people's ideologies of a short war and the need to always attack. Tuchman used Clausewitz to prove the pressures of short war and offensive attacks. The third reason given by Tuchman revolved around the effects of treaties. Tuchman highlighted how treaties and alliances resulted in a sort of domino effect, which resulted in more countries becoming involved in the war. Tuchman describes this idea on page 63: The government maintained its fallacious position that the military "conversations" were, in Haldane's words, "only a natural and informal result of our close friendship with France." This could be a natural outcome; informal, they were not… the general staff “certainly engaged us in the fight, whether the cabinet liked it or not.” In this quote, Tuchman explains his thinking that the war was fought this way because of the number of intertwined alliances and treaties. This specific example revolves around the connection between the United States and France and how their alliance essentially meant that if one of them went to war, they both had to do so. Finally, another interpretation that came to his mind was about the contradictions involved in war, such as having technological advances but sticking to the traditions of past wars. She talks about it on page 457: Doumergue made a deep impression when he said: “it takes more courage to appear cowardly and risk killing unfavorable popular interests.” … [This statement] provided a subject for even more heated controversy. In this quote, Tuchman describes a heated debate from that era. This debate was essentially an attempt to overturn genteel ideals about the ethics of war. Previously, it was believed that it was better to die in battle than to give up. However, the use of this ideology in this war was detrimental to the military due to the invention of new weapons. Tuchman decided to write The Guns of August when a publisher, Cecil Scott of the Macmillan Company, invited her to write a story describing the events that occurred during that war. In the preface, Tuchman described his worry that no one would be interested in such a topic or read this book. She said: "In moments of depression while writing, I had asked Mr. Scott [the editor], 'Who will read this?' (xxi) The book was originally intended for an audience who had prior knowledge of World War I and wanted to see an interpretation of what it felt like for those involved. Nevertheless, as a richly descriptive study blending imagination and evidence, it has become a widely read book among a variety of populations. The book proved to be a great resource for those who wanted to study the origins of the First World War, but it needed a compelling story to keep them entertained while learning. The characteristic that has often been, 2004. .