The Greatest Day in History

The twentieth century was a time of rapid change, both societally and technologically. Since much of this change was a direct result of conflicts that engulfed the world, it is important to properly understand not just the events, but the human cost and the common person's understanding of the world as it had been. 

In his work The Greatest Day in History, Nicholas Best provides a uniquely human-centric view of a global issue. Rather than simply outlining the facts of the final week of the Great War, Best uses first hand accounts of people in different countries to create a wider context. It provides a more personal connection to the people on the ground who experienced the tumultuous period. The resulting book is a much more compelling and emotional narrative. 

Furthermore, I feel like this period in world history was underrepresented in our educational system. Since the United States had less of an impact in the first world war, it received about as much time as the Spanish-American War, which, if measuring by human cost, either vastly undervalues the former, or overemphasises the later. Other details, such as the Entente requesting the surrender of more planes than the Germans possessed or the request by the Germans to keep more machine guns to suppress their Bolshevik uprising definitely did not make it into our classrooms. 

Best pulls no punches in describing the world from the perspective of those who saw 11/11/1918. He talks about the terror, the brutality, and the shear chaos that was at hand, not shying away from the painful truth that even as officers knew that 11:00 Paris time would be the end, they sent their troops at the enemy in an effort for more personal glory.

Ultimately, this isn't a must read. Most won't find it too interesting as it is a bit in the weeds. However, for a fan of history, I would recommend this well written and well researched work.