Review by Choice Review
Sanborn's exhaustive archival research allows him to transcend the familiar narrative of how the moribund Russian imperial elite proved incapable of prosecuting a modern war in which industrial production was more important than amassing large armies. He succeeds brilliantly in integrating the military and social history of Russia's war effort. The author also reminds readers that in contrast to the romance of trench warfare and teary memories of the Christmas football match, the war inured Europeans to the practice of atrocity, particularly on the Eastern Front. However, Sanborn (Lafayette College) does not limit himself to providing a new, fuller description of how the war resulted in the collapse of the Russian empire; he attempts a new interpretative framework as well, identifying anti-colonialism, not nationalism or balance of power rivalry, as the root cause of the war. Readers should be careful drawing metaconclusions from the Russian experience. More important, Sanborn does not effectively disentangle anti-colonialism from nationalism, although he asserts the primacy of the former. An outstanding contribution to the spate of books marking the centenary of the Great War. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. --Paul E. Heineman, University of Maryland University College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
