 | Sunday, June 28, 1914
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This event is most directly linked as the cause for World War I. In reading The First World War a high-brow volume penned by Hew Strachan, many additional, complicated causes were also in play - an arms race in the Balkans, the fear of Russian military involvement, the uncertainty of Germany's strength, and a great deal of nationalism and imperialism, for example.
The book is going to take me a while to read, as Strachan does not tone down any dryness in voice, and many foreign names and historic locations are repeated as if the reader understands it all. I certainly prefer a less technical approach to storytelling - even nonfiction storytelling. The narrative is lost in the complications. I am hopeful for more simplicity as the war actually gets started in the book, and I am hopeful for more understanding on my own part.
The book is going to take me a while to read, as Strachan does not tone down any dryness in voice, and many foreign names and historic locations are repeated as if the reader understands it all. I certainly prefer a less technical approach to storytelling - even nonfiction storytelling. The narrative is lost in the complications. I am hopeful for more simplicity as the war actually gets started in the book, and I am hopeful for more understanding on my own part.
Why put myself through the reading of 340 difficult pages? It is all a part of my preparation for the Teacher Institute at Fort Ticonderoga in July. For more anticipation and reflection on the week-long experience, go to my Fort Ticonderoga page.
