Dreadnought (book)
LC Class D517 .M37 1991 | | |
| Followed by | Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea | |
|---|---|---|
Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War (1991) is a book by Robert K. Massie on the growing European tension in decades before World War I, especially the naval arms race between Britain and Germany. A sequel, covering the naval war between Germany and Britain, Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea was published in 2004.
Summary
Massie begins with the birth of
.The development of the
British Navy is also covered in substantial detail, with Jackie Fisher presented fully. The insights that led to the conception and construction of the title Dreadnought are explained and the reader is informed that this was not the first HMS " Dreadnought" as there had been ships named "Dreadnought" all the way back to Elizabeth I. On the German side, the Tirpitz Plan is described, and the way that the Imperial German
governmental structure permitted its funding is explained.
Further, the history of the
and its aftermath are presented. From Margot Asquith, wife of Prime Minister H.H. Asquith, speaking of meeting her husband after the last efforts to avert war had failed, we are given, "I sat down beside him with a feeling of numbness in my limbs.... Henry sat at his writing table leaning back.... What was he thinking of?... His sons?... would they all have to fight?... I got up and leaned my head against his; we could not speak for tears."Table of contents
- Part I: The German Challenge
- Part II: The End of Splendid Isolation
- Part III: The Navy
- Part IV: Britain and Germany: Politics and Growing Tension, 1906–1910
- Part V: The Road to Armageddon
References
- Massie, Robert K. Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War. New York: Random House, 1991. ISBN 0-394-52833-6