Overview
In many ways the German soldiers who marched back from the Western Front at the end of World War I held the key to the future of the newly-created republic that replaced the Kaiser's collapsed monarchy. To the radical Left, the orderly columns of front-line troops appeared to be the forces of the counterrevolution while to the conservative elements of society they seemed to be the Fatherland's salvation. However, in their efforts to get home as soon as possible, most soldiers were indifferent to the political struggles within the Reich, while the remnant that remained under arms proved powerless to defend the republic from its enemies. This book considers why these soldiers' response to the revolution was so different from the rest of the army and the implications this would have for the course of the German Revolution and, ultimately, for the fate of the Weimar Republic itself.
Full Product Details
Author: Scott Stephenson (United States Army Command and General Staff College, Kansas)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Volume: 30
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.00cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.500kg
ISBN: 9781107632363
ISBN 10: 1107632366
Pages: 374
Publication Date: 22 August 2013
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
Review of the hardback: 'Scholars will find much to engage with in this powerful book. Stephenson's descriptions of the German retreat following 11 November and his analysis of the soldiers' councils are among the book's strengths. His investigation of the conduct of German soldiers has implications beyond the rather unusual environment of 1918 and will speak to those interested in the behavior of veterans of all wars. The Final Battle is a worthy contribution to Cambridge University Press's prestigious Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare series and a valuable addition to our understanding of the critical year of 1918.' Michael Neiberg, Michigan War Studies Review Review of the hardback: '... a moving and often brilliant book that should serve as a model for the so-called 'new military history'.' Parameters Review of the hardback: 'No historian of the Imperial army or the Weimar Republic can afford to ignore this thought-provoking and, in many ways, provocative study.' English Historical Review Review of the hardback: 'This well crafted and thoroughly researched monograph is the first in many years to explore the return home of the defeated Imperial Army.' Stand To! The Journal of the Western Front Association Scholars will find much to engage with in this powerful book. Stephenson's descriptions of the German retreat following 11 November and his analysis of the soldiers' councils are among the book's strengths. His investigation of the conduct of German soldiers has implications beyond the rather unusual environment of 1918 and will speak to those interested in the behavior of veterans of all wars. The Final Battle is a worthy contribution to Cambridge University Press's prestigious Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare series and a valuable addition to our understanding of the critical year of 1918. -Michael Neiberg, Michigan War Studies Review a moving and often brilliant book that should serve as a model for the so-called new military history. -Parameters A moving and often brilliant book that should serve as a model for the so-called new military history focused more on institutions than battlefield operations...well written, innovative, and insightful Parameters, Michael D. Pearlman No historian of the Imperial army or the Weimar Republic can afford to ignore this thought-provoking and, in many ways, provocative study. -English Historical Review Recommended. -Choice ...finely crafted and meticulously researched... -Holger H. Herwig, The Journal of Military History This well-crafted and thoroughly researched monograph is the first in many years to explore the return home of the defeated Imperial Army. -Len Shurtleff, The St. Mihiel TripWire Stephenson's book demonstrates that there is still a fertile field for historians interested in the era of World War I. -Frederic Krome, Canadian Journal of History This well-crafted and thoroughly researched monograph is the first in many years to explore the return home of the defeated Imperial Army. -Len Shurtleff, Relevance
Review of the hardback: 'Scholars will find much to engage with in this powerful book. Stephenson's descriptions of the German retreat following 11 November and his analysis of the soldiers' councils are among the book's strengths. His investigation of the conduct of German soldiers has implications beyond the rather unusual environment of 1918 and will speak to those interested in the behavior of veterans of all wars. The Final Battle is a worthy contribution to Cambridge University Press's prestigious Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare series and a valuable addition to our understanding of the critical year of 1918.' Michael Neiberg, Michigan War Studies Review Review of the hardback: '... a moving and often brilliant book that should serve as a model for the so-called 'new military history'.' Parameters Review of the hardback: 'No historian of the Imperial army or the Weimar Republic can afford to ignore this thought-provoking and, in many ways, provocative study.' English Historical Review Review of the hardback: 'This well crafted and thoroughly researched monograph is the first in many years to explore the return home of the defeated Imperial Army.' Stand To! The Journal of the Western Front Association
Author Information
Scott Stephenson is Associate Professor of Military History at the Department of Military History, US Army Command and General Staff College.
