Description
Book SynopsisThe growing military, political and socio-economic costs for all belligerents as the Great War entered its fourth year were increasingly evident, liberal democracies and authoritarian states alike having to remobilise public opinion for yet greater sacrifices. While the Western Front was facing these challenges, 1917 was also marked by the collapse of Tsarist Russia and by food riots resuting both from the Entente's blockade of Central Europe and the revival of unrestricted submarine warfare by the Central Powers. Ottoman Turkey was feeling the strain of war as well, as British forces advanced in both Palestine and Mesopotamia. For states as yet uncommitted to war, such as the United States and China, 1917 was a year of decision. This volume amply illustrates the significance of this crucial year in the global conflict. Contributors are Lawrence Sondhaus, Eric Grove, Keith Grieves, Matthew Hughes, Kaushik Roy, Vanda Wilcox, Laura Rowe, and Nick Hewitt.
Table of ContentsList of Contributors .. vii Introduction .. ix Ian F. W. Beckett Planning for the Endgame: The Central Powers, September 1916–April 1917 .. 1 Lawrence Sondhaus Generalship and Mass Surrender during the Italian Defeat at Caporetto .. 25 Vanda Wilcox ‘Weary Waiting is Hard Indeed’: The Grand Fleet after Jutland .. 47 Nick Hewitt Counting Unrest: Physical Manifestations of Unrest and Their Relationship to Admiralty Perception .. 71 Laura Rowe Climax in the Baltic: The German Maritime Offensive in the Gulf of Riga in October 1917 .. 97 Eric Grove Command, Strategy and the Battle for Palestine, 1917 .. 113 Matthew Hughes The Army in India in Mesopotamia from 1916 to 1918: Tactics, Technology and Logistics Reconsidered .. 131 Kaushik Roy War Comes to the Fields: Sacrifi ce, Localism and Ploughing Up the English Countryside in 1917 .. 159 Keith Grieves Index .. 177
