Private Ryan and the Lost Peace: A Defiant Soldier and the Struggle Against the Great War

Imagine the Great War ending early, in 1915, or 1916, or even 1917. Imagine round-table negotiations and a compromise peace, ending what seemed to be an unbreakable military stalemate. Had peace come in this way, perhaps there would have been no Communism, no Fascism, no Nazism, no Great Depression, and no Second World War. During the Great War, many urged such a peace.

Private Ryan and the Lost Peace is the story of one soldier who rebelled against the war and urged a mediated settlement. H...