March 1917: On the Brink of War and Revolution

by Will Englund Narrated by Julian Elfer

Overview

"We are provincials no longer," said Woodrow Wilson on March 5, 1917, at his second inaugural. He spoke on the eve of America's entrance into World War I, as Russia teetered between autocracy and democracy. Just ten days after Wilson's declaration, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne, ending a three-centuries-long dynasty and ushering in the false dawn of a democratic Russia. Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany a few short weeks later, asserting the United States' new role as a global power and its commitment to spreading American ideals abroad. Will Englund draws on a wealth of contemporary diaries, memoirs, and newspaper accounts to furnish texture and personal detail to the story of that month. March 1917 celebrates the dreams of warriors, pacifists, revolutionaries, and reactionaries, even as it demonstrates how their successes and failures constitute the origin story of the complex world we inhabit a century later.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Clearly written and engaging."— Wm. Roger Louis Wall Street Journal

"One of the most delightful [books] I have ever read on the subject. Mr. Englund is a very talented writer of vast experience."— G. Jefferson Price III, Baltimore Sun

"Energetic, intensely readable....the careful history in March 1917 also doubles as a warning."— Christian Science Monitor

"A detailed account of one month that shaped history."— New York Post

"Offers fascinating details about nations on the brink of war."— Dan Rodricks Baltimore Sun

"Fast-paced history....full of haunting, unforgettable wartime images."— David M. Shribman Boston Globe

"In his detailed, fast-paced account....Englund deftly intertwines the Russian story with the American one....a remarkable portrait."— Charles King The Washington Post

"This book nicely details both the political arena and the submerged social currents. It also adds to the knowledge base about this time period....Recommended for those eager to learn about watershed moments in history and all readers interested in World War I."— Library Journal (starred review)

"Englund is an accomplished storyteller, and he captures well the spirit of the time."— Kirkus Reviews

"Despite the plethora of books on WWI, Englund....crafts a novel and persuasive point of entry into the topic, focusing on the pivotal month of March 1917....[he] delivers a satisfying, well written, and well timed work."— Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews

2016-12-19
In his debut, Washington Post assistant foreign editor Englund takes a close look at a month "that wrenched America toward a new course."This was the month immediately before Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to take America into World War I. Wilson, the book's central figure, was initially determined to keep America neutral but was also relentlessly drawn to the conclusion that escalating German attacks on American shipping required the nation to join the hostilities. Early in the month, the first Russian revolution broke out and the hapless Czar Nicholas II abdicated, thus eliminating the embarrassing prospect of Americans fighting for democracy alongside an absolute despotism. Supporting players in the drama include Theodore Roosevelt, fulminating for a war he would not be permitted to join; Jeannette Rankin, the first American congresswoman, who wanted to focus on obtaining suffrage for women but first had to decide how to vote on going to war; H.L. Mencken, the Germanophile journalist who spent March in Cuba covering a farcical failed revolution; and James Reese Europe, a pioneering jazz and military band leader. Englund is an accomplished storyteller, and he well captures the spirit of the time: in Russia, where the exhilaration and confusion as the nation stumbled toward a humiliating separate peace with Germany and a second revolution; in America, full of anxiety and anticipation as the country slid reluctantly into war. The author also ably portrays the unfortunate misperceptions about emerging Russian democracy. Englund's self-imposed time frame proves constraining, however. The events of March were, of course, the culmination of earlier developments that require and receive full explanation, particularly the resumption by Germany of unrestricted submarine warfare and the now-famous Zimmermann telegram. The coverage of Rankin's congressional debut effectively displays the distressing split that the prospect of war caused in the ranks of the suffragists, but the adventures of Mencken and James Europe seem of only tangential relevance. An entertaining narrative of events that have received more thorough treatment elsewhere.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170127740
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	03/07/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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