I have been quiet here lately. I have been binging audiobooks about 20th century history. About both World Wars and Cold War. Haven’t been drawing that much. The picture is older one. I have listened history podcast but haven’t cared 20th century that much before. Russian invasion to Ukraine changed that. 20th century started to be more interesting. I haven’t written about those books because I am not historian and can’t judge their accuracy. Wanted to give recommendations of few of them from general audience point of view in case someone else is curious about the topic and want to find books to read or listen.
Barbara W. Tuchman: The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914
Book about world before the Great War. Quite comprehensive look what world was before the war broke. Interesting how people saw the world and possible future war before it actually happened. More about everything else than military and war.
Barbara W. Tuchman: The Guns of August
Classic book about how Europe went to war and first months of the war. Classic for several reasons.
G. J. Meyer: A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918
One volume book about The First World War. I found background sections more interesting than main sections. Main sections are quite basic military history but background tells more about why things happened like they did and what is was like to be there.
Max Hastings: Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945
This is almost like background sections of A World Undone but about The Second World War. Starts from beginning of the war. Nothing from reasons why the war begun.
Victor Sebestyen: Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire
Best book about The Cold War I have found so far. More about fall of Iron Curtain than Soviet Union. Basically what happened outside Soviet Union and lack of reaction from Soviet Union.
Still looking for good books about world between World Wars and fall of Soviet Union. Soviet Union books I have listened don’t tell much about economy which they say was big reason of the fall. Only that they needed more money all the time.