Ordeal by Battle

Written during the early months of the Great War, this briskly assembled volume attempts to make sense of a conflict that still raged around the author’s desk. Acknowledging its hurried composition and inevitable rough edges, the writer nonetheless strives to give listeners a clear snapshot of why the continent slipped into armed struggle and what the immediate triggers were.

The book is divided into three parts. The first sketches the deep‑seated habits that keep societies turning to war, while the second probes the mindset of German leadership, describing how academic ambitions and bureaucratic pressures combined into a hostile worldview. The final section turns the gaze homeward, critiquing British political life, the tug between reform and empire, and the failures of leadership that left the nation unprepared for the crisis.

Listeners will come away with a vivid portrait of the political and moral climate of 1914‑15, presented in a style that feels both urgent and thoughtful.