Empire and revolution

A socialist history of the First World War

Dave Sherry, Bookmarks, 219 pages, paperback, £7.99

There are any number of books on the First World War that tell us the slaughter was inevitable, justified, or simply a terrible mistake. This book argues exactly the opposite.

Sherry points out that the war had its roots in the very nature of capitalism. Most importantly, he says that the war ended not because of military victory, or because of the economic superiority of one side or the other; rather, through mutiny, rebellion, strikes and revolution, ordinary people in all the belligerent nations, in uniform or in the workplace, had made it impossible for the ruling classes to continue the war.

Once the scale of the slaughter became apparent and shortages begun to bite, many protested and the anti-war movement grew. In Russia, Germany, Italy, Britain, France and Austria, within a few years of the war starting, there were protests, strikes and mass meetings against hunger, housing shortages, rents, low pay as well as enlistment.

Far from all being in it together, the majority of people were suffering badly, and as the killing continued, the anger grew.

Reviews contributed by the Bookmarks socialist bookshop. Order online at www.bookmarksbookshop.co.uk