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The Sleepwalkers

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About this listen

The pacy, sensitive and formidably argued history of the causes of the First World War, from acclaimed historian and author Christopher Clark.

Sunday Times and Independent Books of the Year 2012.

The moments that it took Gavrilo Princip to step forward to the stalled car and shoot dead Franz Ferdinand and his wife were perhaps the most fateful of the modern era. An act of terrorism of staggering efficiency, it fulfilled its every aim: it would liberate Bosnia from Habsburg rule, and it created a powerful new Serbia, but it also brought down four great empires, killed millions of men and destroyed a civilization. What made a seemingly prosperous and complacent Europe so vulnerable to the impact of this assassination?

In The Sleepwalkers Christopher Clark retells the story of the outbreak of the First World War and its causes. Above all, it shows how the failure to understand the seriousness of the chaotic, near genocidal fighting in the Balkans would drag Europe into catastrophe.

©2012 Christopher Clark (P)2018 Audible, Ltd Europe Military War Imperialism Middle Ages Thought-Provoking Russia Winston Churchill Soviet Union Middle East Socialism Africa Royalty Self-Determination Interwar Period
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The research and analysis that lead to this book are outstanding . Should be required base text for all school text books dealing with WW1.
Unfortunately i can’t offer the same praise for the reader- he was appalling. I persisted despite the odds. Too rushed and very poor pronunciation. The book deserves a better performance.

Wonderful book

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A fascinating deep dive into the key actors and actions which caused the first great war.

For some, the end result of the book could be a bit confusing, as the author's reflections on the causes of the war are very tentative and only come at the end rather than being introduced throughout.

The story and performance are excellent however, and I found this book gripping from start to finish.

Brilliant

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n excellent account of the history leading up the Great War and a very in depth study of the causes and affects of the previous events that culminated in what was one of the most terrible events of the 20th Century.

Brilliant and very in depth look into the events leading to the Great War.

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An excellent book. The author writes well and some of the pen portraits are fascinating and even funny. The conclusion poses some interesting questions about the stories that statesmen and nations tell themselves and the processes of history. These have important insights for today’s international scene.

The conclusion which has profound implications for today’s world and the study of history.

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Well written, compelling revisionist history. The book illuminates the responsibility of Serbia, Russia and France in sparking WWI while (controversially) downplaying Germany's. The narrator unfortunately cannot pronounce any non-English names.

Compelling history, mediocre narration

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