This book is a masterpiece - elegantly written, clear in its analysis, and multifaceted in perspective. It offers a significant new interpretation of the First World War and is a captivating read. Jörn Leonhard's grand synthesis unfolds an impressive panorama. It shows how the world entered the war and how it emerged from it as something entirely different. It not only considers the states and nations but also the empires in Europe and far beyond. It describes the dynamic changes in the scope of action, the rapid military developments, and the increasingly swift transformations of wartime societies. It brings to life the experiences of a diverse range of contemporaries: military personnel, politicians, writers, men and women, soldiers and workers.