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The Greatest Day in History

How the First World War Finally Came to an End

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The Greatest Day in History

By: Nicholas Best
Narrated by: John Haag
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About this listen

 World War I did not end neatly with the Germans' surrender. After a dramatic week of negotiations, military offensives, and the beginning of a Communist revolution, the German Imperial regime collapsed. The Allies eventually granted an armistice to a new German government, and at 11:00 on November 11, the guns officially ceased fire - but only after 11,000 more casualties had been sustained. The London Daily Express proclaimed it "the greatest day in history".

Nicholas Best tells the story in sweeping, cinematic style, following a set of key participants through the twists and turns of these climactic events, and sharing the impressions of eyewitnesses, including Adolf Hitler, Charles de Gaulle, Harry S. Truman, Anthony Eden, and future famous generals MacArthur, Patton, and Montgomery.

©2008 Nicholas Best (P)2009 Audible, Inc. Americas Europe Military United States War Imperialism Royalty

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Critic reviews

"What might have been merely a kaleidoscopic series of vignettes is given shape and focus by Best's skill at paraphrasing the narratives and synergizing the experiences of those who lived through the greatest day in history, knowing they had survived the deadliest war up to then - and suddenly asking, What happens now?" (Publishers Weekly)
"The sense that the last four years could not be repeated is very strong among these witnesses, except for a certain Adolf Hitler, who feels that Germany has to try again. All expanding WWI collections need this book." (Booklist)
All stars
Most relevant
This book was written by a Brit and should have been narrated by one. The American narrator sounds strange talking about a car's 'bonnet', instead of the 'hood', or sounding a jarring note by saying such things as 8 November, instead of the more Anglicised 8th of November. That said, the book itself is fascinating and wide ranging, wide ranging and bringing in all sorts of details such as the impact of Spanish flu, or the fact that Germany teetered on the brink of becoming a Socialist republic, using the USSR as a model. Best also brings in a large cast of characters, all of whom were contemporaries - Bertram Russell, Vera Britain, Oswald Mosely, Ghandi, Marie Currie, Hitler and so on. So, well worth getting and would repay repeat listening, even if the American accent grates a little.

Great Book, shame about the narration

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