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Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Max Hastings (Author), Simon Vance (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,314 ratings
#1 Best Seller in World War I History
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From the acclaimed military historian, a new history of the outbreak of World War I: the dramatic stretch from the breakdown of diplomacy to the battles - the Marne, Ypres, Tannenberg - that marked the frenzied first year before the war bogged down in the trenches.

In Catastrophe 1914, Max Hastings gives us a conflict different from the familiar one of barbed wire, mud, and futility. He traces the path to war, making clear why Germany and Austria-Hungary were primarily to blame, and describes the gripping first clashes in the West, where the French army marched into action in uniforms of red and blue with flags flying and bands playing. In August, four days after the French suffered 27,000 men dead in a single day, the British fought an extraordinary holding action against oncoming Germans, one of the last of its kind in history. In October, at terrible cost the British held the allied line against massive German assaults in the first battle of Ypres. Hastings also recreates the lesser-known battles on the Eastern Front, brutal struggles in Serbia, East Prussia, and Galicia, where the Germans, Austrians, Russians, and Serbs inflicted three million casualties upon one another by Christmas.

As he has done in his celebrated, award-winning works on World War II, Hastings gives us frank assessments of generals and political leaders and masterly analyses of the political currents that led the continent to war. He argues passionately against the contention that the war was not worth the cost, maintaining that Germany’s defeat was vital to the freedom of Europe. Throughout we encounter statesmen, generals, peasants, housewives, and private soldiers of seven nations in Hastings’ accustomed blend of top-down and bottom-up accounts: generals dismounting to lead troops in bayonet charges over 1,500 feet of open ground; farmers who at first decried the requisition of their horses; infantry men engaged in a haggard retreat, sleeping four hours a night in their haste. This is a vivid new portrait of how a continent became embroiled in war and what befell millions of men and women in a conflict that would change everything.

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  1. Listening Length
    25 hours and 25 minutes
  2. Author
    Max Hastings
  3. Narrator
    Simon Vance
  4. Audible release date
    December 2, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B08PC4TNDQ
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 25 hours and 25 minutes
Author Max Hastings
Narrator Simon Vance
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date December 02, 2020
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08PC4TNDQ
Best Sellers Rank #578 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#1 in World War I History (Books)
#1 in Europe Politics & Government
#1 in World War I History (Audible Books & Originals)

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4.5 out of 5 stars
2,314 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They praise the well-researched, thorough content and appreciate the heartbreaking story. The book provides a detailed look at World War I with wonderful pictures at the back.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Writing qualityReadabilityResearch qualityEnjoymentHeartbreaking storyDepthLookMap size
192 customers mention "Writing quality"164 positive28 negative

Customers find the book engaging and informative. It provides an excellent overview of political and military developments as well as cultural aspects during World War I. The narrative is superb, making readers feel immersed in the events. Readers praise the author's thorough research and detailed descriptions of events. Overall, it's a worthwhile read for political and military history fans.

"Well written book on a par with The Guns of August." Read more

"...There are many other interesting points in the book and this review is getting too long as it is. I would suggest you get a copy and read it...." Read more

"...cost in the first few months of this war and this book details this in great detail without going to into too much battle description in the grand..." Read more

"...Max Hastings is more than qualified on the topic of war, having written more than 20 books and served as a foreign correspondent for BBC TV...." Read more

96 customers mention "Readability"86 positive10 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-researched. They say it's worth their time and exceeds their expectations.

"...] which has a different slant to Hastings' work, but still worthwhile." Read more

"This book is excellent! This book is a rare thing. It really does cast a new light on an old subject. This book is typical Max Hastings...." Read more

"...His works on all types of military history are really first-rate, and Catastrophe 1914 is no exception...." Read more

"...sources combined with his rich and creamy prose that makes reading his work so pleasurable...." Read more

75 customers mention "Research quality"73 positive2 negative

Customers find the book well-researched and documented. They appreciate the eyewitness accounts, important documents, and good points. Readers consider it one of the best books on World War I.

"...There is a great deal to read here and it is good information, but while I enjoy some of the personal stories about soldiers from each nation, it..." Read more

"...This book is typical Max Hastings. This book is very well researched...." Read more

"...Max Hastings does not write compelling narrative history with top-notch analysis, and yet I haven't ever seen it...." Read more

"...he allows his pro-British bias to mar an otherwise brilliant, well-researched and (as usual) entertaining book." Read more

34 customers mention "Enjoyment"34 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's narrative and find it compelling, interesting, and memorable. They describe the narrative as easy to digest, thoughtful, and riveting. The book provides a thoughtful account of the start of the Great War.

"...by the nature of those events manages to produce a text that is a pure joy to read...." Read more

"...It is in the second element that Hastings is always provocative and entertaining...." Read more

"...Writing style, generally fast moving and enjoyable." Read more

"...a very good read, it is my first of Max Hastings and I found it quite enjoyable...." Read more

34 customers mention "Heartbreaking story"25 positive9 negative

Customers find the story gripping and well-written. They describe it as a profound and emotional account of a tragic part of history. Readers mention that the book is fascinating yet disturbing, providing an excellent account of the astounding misbehaviors, misperceptions, and hubris of the ruling classes during WWI.

"...Max Hastings also puts a human touch on his analysis...." Read more

"It is very difficult to write History that is both profound and pleasant to read...." Read more

"...The details of the early battles read like a fantastic horror story. Hundreds of thousands of men marching and fighting and marching some more...." Read more

"...this by excellent research and the use of interesting but little known characters/ events that were deeply involved in this tragic story...." Read more

11 customers mention "Depth"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's depth and scope. They find it provides a thorough view of each belligerent's motivations and aims. The scope and powerful images create a lucid, flowing fabric that illuminates the backstory of the war. Overall, readers describe the book as illuminating and a fine-grained view of the early days of World War I leading up to the conflict.

"...The author infuses his analysis with real depth through dozens of individual accounts of the experience of the conflict...." Read more

"Book is very thorough and clear...." Read more

"...This book is a fine grained view of the earliest days of WWI leading up to the settling in to trench warfare...." Read more

"...The author creates a fabric that is lucid and flowing...." Read more

10 customers mention "Look"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's look. They find the detailed look at World War I and wonderful pictures they haven't seen in years insightful. The views across a wide spectrum of society are also appreciated, especially those of the conflict in Serbia.

"...The accounts of conflict in the Serbia is really eye opening. You get a new feel for those bloody months of 1914 from August to December...." Read more

"...mainly to the broad British public offering in an elegant way the British point of view and focused to the most theatrically dramatical part of WW1..." Read more

"...No footnotes or note numbers on the actual page. Wonderful pictures also at the back - many I had not seen in many years reading and..." Read more

"...mostly in 1914? Excellent maps of battlefields and several pages of photographs. If you are an expert on World War One , don't buy it...." Read more

7 customers mention "Map size"0 positive7 negative

Customers find the maps in the book too small and blurry to read without magnification. They also mention that the book has only two maps, which is less than expected for 50 pages.

"...], are generally clear, if often too small to be read without magnification...." Read more

"...one, Boot's is the first history book I've read on it, and the maps are so tiny that I they're useless. Absolutely no reason for that...." Read more

"...When I follow this link the map is no larger and cannot be blown up so is still unreadable.This is a serious drawback in a book with so many maps." Read more

"...Also, the whole Eastern Front gets maybe 50 pages in total and just TWO maps - that is less than description of social and political situation in..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • D
    5.0 out of 5 stars History book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2024
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    Well written book on a par with The Guns of August.
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  • Paul
    4.0 out of 5 stars Another Good Work of History from Hastings
    Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This author is prolific and has again provided a fine scholarly and entertaining military history of some 700 pages.

    With the anniversary of the war approaching its 100th year, the timing is perfect, and while there are so many books already out there, you will learn things from this book.

    Early in the book, on page 12, he neutralizes Sean McMeekin's The Russian Origins of the First World War argument that Russia wanted to start the war in 1914 in order to gain the Black Sea approaches, but goes on to state that they were certainly willing to fight to stop the Germans getting them.

    He shows us that Europe at that time was a mess, and much of this mess was led by inadequate people who should have never allowed this war to happen. Kaiser Wilhelm was an idiot of a man, prone to bold declarations, many of his policy decisions were written in the margins of diplomatic notes with his favorite exclamation points boldly proclaiming his decisions. Of even greater stupidity was Baron Conrad von Hotzendorf, the Austrian Chief of Staff, who was always clamoring for war against the Serbs. He got his wish and the Serb armies gave as good as they got, and the Russians cleaned house on the Austrians (but certainly not on the Germans).

    In addition, there is Moltke, the German commander who controlled the most powerful army in Europe and lost his nerve after the first few weeks. There was a lot to lose your nerves about. In the first three weeks, the French alone lost 750,000 men. Compare that to the 600,000 casualities during the entire American civil war. This was was about railroads, hugh advances in artillery, the brutal use of the machine gun, tremendous tactical obstacles to move and feed millions of men, and aged commanders who were very slow to realize that the old ways were no more. Valiant charges on foot by soldiers from both sides led to astounding casualities from machine gun nests.

    There is a great deal to read here and it is good information, but while I enjoy some of the personal stories about soldiers from each nation, it does appear to be a bit much. I would guess there are 100 or more "personal stories" and that is too much for me.

    I am surprised at the brief mention of the sacking of the city of Louvain. Hastings describes the August 25th tragedy as an unexplained outbreak of firing on the evening of August 25. It takes little research to see that it was not unexplained at all. Belgian troops had some initial success against the German 1st Army rear lines under General Alexander von Kluck. Panicked, those German troops withdrew into the city, thinking the Allies were launching a major attack. Once it was determined that was not the case, the German authorities decided to punish the Belgians by burning the city, which included the magnificent library which was one of the world's richest medieval libraries holding 300,000 pricless volumes and manuscripts. They also burned the university as well as the church of St. Pierre. In addition, they executed priests, and innocent civilians. This shocking episode startled all of civilization. The British press claimed the Germans had proved themselves descendants not of the great author Goethe but of Attilla the Hun. Surprising, Hastings has too little to say about something this significant event so early in the war. And there were many more examples of German brutality especially against the Belgians, but I felt the author was too forgiving in writing about this.

    He does however quite fairly give Sir John French hell. This British commander of troops on the ground (and they were a very small number in comparison to the French and Belgian) should have been shot for insubordination or treason or simply for being an ass, if you can shoot someone for that. It was the elderly General Smith-Dorrien who chose to fight at Le Cateau the nearest thing to a real commander the British had on the ground. During the period from August until the end of 1914, the BEF was only about 3% of the Allied troops in Belgium and France. This was insignificant compared to latter periods and the author shows that during this period there was more movement; that both sides were just beginning to understand the necessity of the trench, and after Paris was saved, the race was to the north with Germans trying to sweep around and France blocking every move.

    The author does believe and firmly states that the war had to be fought and won. Had it not been, Germany would have been a brutal conqueror of the European continent. Early on, the British were silly to think that their role would largely be a naval one. As it turned out, the great arms race between the Germnan and British navies prior to the war was overdone and for the Germans, they wasted a lot of money and resources on a naval that could not smash the British fleet.

    There are many other interesting points in the book and this review is getting too long as it is. I would suggest you get a copy and read it. As Americans, I know we certainly have little idea of the hell that Europe became during this "war to end all wars". Would also suggest The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 which has a different slant to Hastings' work, but still worthwhile.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Thomas M. Magee
    5.0 out of 5 stars A New Light!!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2014
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    This book is excellent! This book is a rare thing. It really does cast a new light on an old subject. This book is typical Max Hastings. This book is very well researched. He mixes raw statistics in with personal accounts of the battle from first hand accounts. He covers both western and eastern theaters in the book. Most books tend to forget the conflict in the east. The accounts of conflict in the Serbia is really eye opening. You get a new feel for those bloody months of 1914 from August to December.

    Previous books on 1914 focus on the assassination and the resulting politics. People tend to forget the mess from the clashes of the Armies after the politicians failed. Max Hastings creates that time in this book. As you read it you will be shocked. It is almost like it is new information. The huge casualties started almost instantly in the first weeks of August. The volume of the casualties is mind boggling. The velocity of conflict is also something to behold when you remember most of the people walked to war. You can see how the errors of the early months of the war set the stage for the following part of the war. The average reader will gain a new appreciation of those five months.
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  • Andrew Wyllie
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Well Written History Of A True 'Catastrophe'
    Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2017
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    This is a well written book on how the First World War started by a noted historian of the Second World War. While alot of us are familiar with World War II, many are not familiar with the war before it. Without an understanding of what occurred then, it is hard to understand the reluctance of those nations trying to stop Hitler and others to resort to war without trying all other avenues first. European nations paid an astronomical cost in the first few months of this war and this book details this in great detail without going to into too much battle description in the grand sense instead keeping the view from the participants to make it more personal.

    This book also takes the reader away from the battlefields to show how the peoples of the nations involved in the war reacted over the 5 months discussed and how perspectives changed over the course of the victories and defeats that each nation dealt with. The author shows us the members of goverment along with their subjects dealing with changes imposed by the war always with the (hopeful) optimism that it will be over soon and all of the sufferring and loss will be justied by the outcome. As the reality of the duration of conflict starts to dawn on them, it is recognized as a battle of endurance for the nations involved.

    His concluding chapter is one that I think all those who think they 'know everything' about this period of time should read. With over a century having occurred since the events depicted in this book, there is a tendency for modern readers to think that they could have just stopped. The author looks at this prospect from the view of all of the major combatants as well as giving some foreshadowing of what was to come for the participants in the years both during and after the war. In this last chapter, he shows the governments of the nations involved looking if there is a way to end the fighting, but none of them willing to end it except with an advantage that justifies the cost inflicted. Since this was never going to happen, the fighting will continue.

    I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Max Hasting's books on World War II. He has lost none of his talent for relating these stories even with a change of wars being considered. Also, I would recommend this any readers of Barbara Tuchman's "Guns Of August". Her book written back in the 1960's was an eye-opening introduction to the same themes that are discussed in this book. This is a 50 year later successor to her book and belongs right beside it in any library of World War I.
    12 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Dr.Amit Ghosh
    5.0 out of 5 stars My opinion on Max Hastings's Catastrophe
    Reviewed in India on February 18, 2022
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    It is an absorbing account of what happened during those fateful years and like all Max Hastings books it is superb.
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  • Carlo Becchi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Le sorprese della guerra moderna non ancora meccanizzata!
    Reviewed in Italy on September 5, 2020
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    Al solito molto ben scritto e interessante, solo un po' sbilanciato sulle "imprese" degli inglesi, ma essendo lui inglese la cosa si capisce.
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  • Spirensis
    4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant but a little bit biased
    Reviewed in Germany on September 25, 2017
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    In a way, Hastings' brilliant study is a reponse to Christopher Clark’s "The Sleepwalkers". Just as Clark he puts his (first) main emphasis on trying to determine the causes of the First World War and the circumstances of its outbreak. However, other than Clark he emphasizes the historical and political significance of the German quest for a world domination - just continuing the "Fischer controversy" of the 1960s.

    On the other hand, Hastings tends to downplay the French and Russian role in the July crisis, for instance when writing: "The Baltic yachting trip of Poincaré and Viviani probably had little or no influence upon the course of history." He does admit the "massive difficulty about this Franco-Russioan summit", though, "because no minutes were kept, and few relevant state papers survive." I believe Poincarés role in the antecedent narratives of conflict in 1914 still has to be clarified.

    In Clark's view statesmen were trapped “within narratives of their own making”. And, in the Russian narrative, for example, “the entire history of Russia’s sponsorship of Serbian expansionism” was “elided from view.”

    The major strength of the book, however, is its close attention to detail, the accounts from a multitude of contemporary witnesses of seven nations, excerpts from diaries, letters and the like:"the testimony of humble folk ... who became its victims."
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  • Michael Bridger
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unforeseeable Consequences of Starting a War
    Reviewed in Canada on August 16, 2014
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    If this book were only a straightforward history of the causes and events of the first 5 months of World War I, it would be a totally worthwhile study, as well as an enjoyable read. However, the author portrays and analyses with great clarity the incongruities arising from things not quite working out as the participants had expected. In other words, the participants were quite unprepared to control or to deal with the consequences of the technologies for harm that they unleashed.The glorious war of movement and cavalry charges lapsed into trench warfare because neither side could solve machine guns and artillery versus human flesh. Generals of all nations, working to pre-war models, butchered their own soldiery to the tune of hundreds of thousands. No nation had in place communications systems, facilities to adequately treat the wounded, or logistics systems to feed the living. The author demonstrates how the principle victims in the opening phase of World War I were (a) the common soldiery of ALL nations and (b) the civilian populations, in particular of Belgium, France, Serbia and Galicia. Mr. Hastings liberally spices his narrative with extracts from primary sources and concludes with an argument that once events were set in motion, there was no backing out until one side or the other collapsed from exhaustion.
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  • Gran Capitán
    5.0 out of 5 stars La Primera Guerra Mundial por dentro
    Reviewed in Spain on December 20, 2014
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    Excelente relato de la Gran Guerra con contenido riguroso en lo histórico y con prosa amena y de fácil lectura, incluso para el lector cuya lengua materna no sea el inglés. No es una historia de la Primera Guerra Mundial al uso, sino más bien de cómo se llegó a ese drama, la causas políticas, la guerra en sí y los dramas y calamidades de los que en ella combatieron o que la vivieron como civiles. Totalmente recomdable.
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