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1913

in Search of the World Before the Great War
Mar 08, 2015HROPERTZ rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
We were taught that the 1914-18 World War was about freedom, equality and rule of law. Mr. Charles Emmerson undermines these noble quests by educating us that the main proponents of this war of wars were all hypocrites, imperialists and greedy. The French hyped liberty and equality at home but denied these rights to their Colonial empire including Algiers and Viet Nam. The British could not see fit to offer liberty and equality to any of their aboriginal people. No European country would allow women to vote. One would not to have wanted to be black and living in the United States in 1913 . Chinese intellectual Yan Fu noted that European race's last three hundred years of evolutionary progress had come down to nothing but four words: Selfishness, slaughter, shamelessness and corruption. Mr. Emmerson provides us an enlightened context for a war which took millions of lives. No one should read a book on WW I until they read 1913. I wish I did.