The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman

The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War 1890-1914, by Barbara Tuchman.

Brief, not thorough, highly subjective Summary:

In eight chapters Tuchman presents an overview of political, economic, military, social, and cultural currents in Europe (primarily Western Europe, with some significant coverage of the US and occasional reference to Russia) in the 25 years leading up to the beginning of World War I.

Chapter one concerns itself with the late-Victorian period in England, a period characterized by self-satisfied naval superiority, the grandeur of Empire, and the extraordinary ease of the landed gentry. Politically the period from 1895-1902 represented the last years of reign of the Tory elites as embodied in the House of Lords. Tuchman's portrayal is one of a class of people so confident in their historical power of government, and so isolated from the misery of the working class, that in their minds Tory leadership would persist forever, even as the English Empire spread the glory of England over the earth.
Chapter two surveys the rise of Anarchism in Europe and the US during the period 1890-1914. Tuchman's analysis describes a group of intellectual anarchists inciting the masses to violence by gun and bomb in their newspapers and tracts, and occasional success by the same in pushing some mentally disturbed working-class man to blow someone up or kill some dignitary. The important point of this chapter is in the description of how successful a disorganized campaign of terrorism can lead to ...a terrified populace.
Chapter three describes the end of American isolationism and the entry of the United States onto the world stage, with the Spanish-American war but also with the emergence of American political leaders and thinkers into the global discussion. Particular emphasis on the growth of the American Navy during this time, and on the weak cries of American intellectuals that becoming a belligerent, imperial power was a betrayal of the principles of the American Republic.
Chapter four: the Dreyfus Affair. A battle between, ultimately, on the one hand army and church (and order and security), and on the other hand republicanism and justice. Cut France in two, impassioned the world. Worth reading a book about on its own.
Chapter five covers the attempts through two conferences at the Hague to organize the world's powers into a league of nations so that war might become, eventually, impossible. This movement is portrayed as a sham perpetrated by political leaders to convince their respective electorates that they wanted to prevent war even as each nation ramped up preparations for war. An interesting note about how Czar Nicholas II was the catalyst for this movement. His idea was to press pause on armament accumulation long enough for his country's economy to regain enough strength after the Russo-Japanese war to continue the arms race on even footing with Austria, its presumed rival in war. The international pacifist movement is characterized as a bunch of earnest, but unrealistic, dreamers.
Chapter six gives us a portrait of Germany as megalomaniacal in its rise to power. Looking to a simplified reading of Nietzsche to justify their self-importance, Germany thought of itself as not only the richest and most powerful nation but also the most cultivated. Long discussion of Richard Strauss and how his music took the world by storm - and how he himself was both a creative genius and a shrewd businessman looking to make good money off his works.
Chapter seven describes the rise of Liberals and Labor in England. The battle is set up between the landed gentry who still control the House of Lords, which has veto power over any legislation, and Liberals, who control Commons and use that House's power to write legislation to send bill after bill to the Lords to provoke a veto and crisis. Arthur James Balfour is portrayed as a hero trying to guide England peacefully to a new status quo with the rising middle and working classes taking more power peacefully. Liberals are portrayed as power mad.
Chapter eight goes over the schism in Socialism during this period. The Socialists are divided between those who favor incremental improvement in the lives of working class people, and those who favor revolution and only revolution, and few reform as delaying the inevitable revolution. Even as they are divided the Socialists rise to power (nominal or real) quickly during this period in England, France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and elsewhere, and even make substantial inroads in the US.

Reaction:

Tuchman is a good writer, and I enjoyed reading this book. She covers a lot of ground, and mostly gets out of the way of her subjects. This is a period of history that fascinates me, and I was glad to get this portrait. I did find myself, at times, wincing a little at her tone, which does seem subtly anti-Labor and pro-capital - with the benefit of hindsight she periodically permits herself to scoff at the naivete of the people of the Left who tried and failed to built Utopia out of the progress of the 19th century. This shouldn't be overstated however - in all she does a nice job.

Reading I want to do stimulated by this book:

Kipling
a history of the Austro-Hungarian empire
Marx
Nietzsche
a history of the Wobblies
a book about the Dreyfus Affair
Zola