Rating: 
Summary: Re: D.G.
Review: "Pacifist Woodrow Wilson?" Please refer to Walter Karp's exhaustively researched, "The Politics of War" regarding Wilson's machinations toward war. Pacifist... Ha!
Rating: 
Summary: The Greatest Account of the USA's Entry into WWI
Review:
Another master-piece from Barbara Wertheim Tuchman. This book describes the 'under-the-table' procedings prior to the USA's entry into the Great War. From reading about Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg's misfortune to be chancellor to Count von Bernstorff's unsuccessful attempts to make Germany aware of how crucial USA's neutrality was, this book kepts one on the edge of their seat. I read it in a day, enthralled at how close the United States of America came to war with Mexico, with the pacifist Woodrow Wilson in charge!
Either before or after reading this book, I would STRONGLY suggest reading _Guns of August_, another Tuchman classic. As I stated in my review of that book, Tuchman sticks with the facts, yet is able to produce a feeling that few horror, romance, or action movies are able to. Tuchman is truly one of the greatest historians of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: It answered all my ?'s
Review: A good book, and it answered all of the ?'s I have ever had and it even told me more. I recommend the book but feel that I must tell all, that at times it can be boring, but stick with it, because it does get better.
Rating:
Summary: History and anecdotes
Review: Barbara Tuchman is one of the leading historians of the 20th century ; she proves it here once more. In this book she manages to use an anecdote - the telegram - to explain in a thrilling and convincing way the reasons for the US to enter the war. It is a brilliant book thanks to her remarkable style which blends suspense and clarity and yet no compromise with historical truth. Many historians are experts and have a vast knowledge of their subject. Very few like Barbara Tuchman make their knowledge accessible in an enticing way to the "man in the street".
Rating: 
Summary: ok, three and three quartes stars and a tuchman "must-read"
Review: first of all...i am a deep tuchman fan and am in the process of reading everything she has written.
i loved the whole drama behind the telegram and it is to the author's credit that so much insightful information could find its way into her story.
the main problem i had with this book is that sometimes, it went into too many details that were designed to strengthen the story but in the end side-tracked it. a small example is needed since i feel badly about criticising tuchman without explaining: when talking about how america reacted to the telegram, she goes through a few pages of quotes from different newspapers...she did not have to...i know that this is a result from trying to get the reader involved in what actually happened so many years ago, but all it wanted to make me do was skip the pages.
still, it is a strong book based on a spectacularly strong story and that seems just to strange to be true.
Rating:
Summary: Explains the Importance of the Zimmermann Telegram
Review: From the techniques involved in decoding and deciphering German diplomatic messages (in layman's terms) to the sacrifices and lives spent acquiring the knowledge of Room 40 (i.e. code books) to the tenacious efforts of Germany to spark U.S involvement in Mexico as well as against the Japanese(!), Tuchman provides a thorough account on the Zimmermann Telegram and its crucial role in pulling a reluctant American nation into the First World War. As a History grad student, I never knew about Germany's aims regarding Japan ("the Yellow Peril") during this period until I read this book. In addition, Tuchman's excellent and often witty writing style makes Zimmermann Telegram (and her many other works) gripping and entertaining, as well as informative.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable, and edifying, good read
Review: I approached this as a general reader in search of a good read, not as a historian. It was a good read, and I learned much more about a piece of our history that I last studied nearly 30 years ago. Tuchman writes with urgency and though her work is well documented, her narrative is never bogged down by wavering, stuttering scholarspeak or footnotes that lie like logs and potholes on the way to the next sentence. Some may argue her premise, that the revelation of the Zimmerman telegraph was the one motivator that would compel Wilson to finally send American troops into World War I combat, but Tuchman makes a persuasive case. Her strengths beyond a capable writing style lie in character development of the players on two sides of the Atlantic and an ability to track all of their movements with clarity as they converge on the fateful entrance of the US into the conflict. In reading this, I was reminded that our contemporary Congress is not unique in its image-conscious, bull-headed, snappish judgment. I was especially taken by what is obviously a legacy of the Civil War, the deep-rooted American fear of conflict on its own soil.
Rating:
Summary: A golden nugget of history
Review: I've first learned of the Zimmermann Telegram from "The Code Book" by Simon Singh (highly recommended itself), and looked for more information on the story; Barbara Tuchman's "The Zimmerman Telegram" filled in the details job splendidly. The buildup is suspenseful, the characters are colorfully drawn, and the settings are well detailed. Tuchman skillfully puts the reader in the minds of those involved, allowing you to understand their mindset and identify with their emotions. This is indeed much closer to a mystery novel than to a regular history book, and it is a better read for it. There are a few small things I felt that marred full enjoyment. These are minor issues indeed, but worth noting. The first is that while most of the book reads as a Novel, as I've mentioned above, in a few occasions it feels as though you can feel Tuchman's voice herself giving her personal opinion (as an historian) on characters in the story. This is not a problem in and of itself, but it doesn't fit with the general mood of the book, so it seems out of place. Another point is that a few important issues were not sufficiently detailed (at least in my view): For instance, the agreement between the US and Germany about the surfacing of submarines is only hinted at, but it itself is never mentioned, which seems important, because the book skips between the conditions that existed before and after the agreement, and this can cause confusion at times. Or, as another example, one of the biggest questions (again, to me) that is hardly touched is why Zimmerman confirmed he sent the telegram after it was made public - surely this was the action that made war impossible to avoid. All in all, however, these small issues do not diminish the book in any great manner, and it still remains a superb account of one of the most pivotal, yet little known events of the 20th century. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A golden nugget of history
Review: I've first learned of the Zimmermann Telegram from "The Code Book" by Simon Singh (highly recommended itself), and looked for more information on the story; Barbara Tuchman's "The Zimmerman Telegram" filled in the details job splendidly. The buildup is suspenseful, the characters are colorfully drawn, and the settings are well detailed. Tuchman skillfully puts the reader in the minds of those involved, allowing you to understand their mindset and identify with their emotions. This is indeed much closer to a mystery novel than to a regular history book, and it is a better read for it. There are a few small things I felt that marred full enjoyment. These are minor issues indeed, but worth noting. The first is that while most of the book reads as a Novel, as I've mentioned above, in a few occasions it feels as though you can feel Tuchman's voice herself giving her personal opinion (as an historian) on characters in the story. This is not a problem in and of itself, but it doesn't fit with the general mood of the book, so it seems out of place. Another point is that a few important issues were not sufficiently detailed (at least in my view): For instance, the agreement between the US and Germany about the surfacing of submarines is only hinted at, but it itself is never mentioned, which seems important, because the book skips between the conditions that existed before and after the agreement, and this can cause confusion at times. Or, as another example, one of the biggest questions (again, to me) that is hardly touched is why Zimmerman confirmed he sent the telegram after it was made public - surely this was the action that made war impossible to avoid. All in all, however, these small issues do not diminish the book in any great manner, and it still remains a superb account of one of the most pivotal, yet little known events of the 20th century. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: When the data spoke louder than words
Review: In forceful, confident prose Ms. Tuchman describes an incident in U.S. history which, if not forgotten, is probably not sufficiently appreciated for its current relevance. President Wilson labored hard to avoid U.S. entry into the Great War; his aim, even on the eve of U.S. involvement, was to win the peace by making himself available to both sides as the honest broker. His efforts to remain neutral had its critics, notably Theodore Roosevelt, but by and large his position mirrored that of the public at large. One critical factor that helped move Wilson from neutrality to belligerence was the uncovering, by British intelligence, of the Zimmerman telegram. That telegram revealed Germany's attempts to forge an alliance with Mexico and thus distract the U.S. from the European theatre. In return, and upon a "certain" German victory, Mexico was promised the restoration of its former holdings -- Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California. While the telegram was a factor in Wilson's volte face, it was by far the most important factor in the creation of a popular, pre-war sentiment in the U.S. electorate.
Why relevant? Wilson's decision to enter the war was delayed until that point in time when empirical data compelled him to abandon neutrality. In contrast, President Bush invaded Iraq on the presumption, based on intelligence, that WMD would be uncovered. Was Wilson right? Perhaps not. He may well have waited too long. Was Bush wrong? Perhaps not, given the behavior of Saddam Hussein with respect to inspections prior to the war. The Zimmerman telegram is not a "morality tale," but it constitutes a fascinating case study on the interplay between data and decision-making at the highest levels of government.
|
