Customer Reviews

The Last Days of Innocence: America at War, 1917-1918

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An example of outstanding historiography! Though not quite the American corollary of Paul Fussell's 'The Great War and Modern Memory,' it proves a great companion to histories of the war written by Martin Gilbert and John Keegan. I found the Harries' work comprehensive and thoroughly documented with often forgotten or neglected sources. They give just the right amount of coverage of the often tediously dry economic, industrial, social, and commercial aspects of the war, and thus do not lose the reader's interest. Many will discover for the first time how oppressive the American political, cultural, and intellectual atmospheres became under the wartime government's efforts to rally and control opinion under a guise of patriotism. Finally, the Harries' descriptions of combat are highly detailed, covering both what went wrong during American military actions, as well as what went right. We read, for example, just how Belleau Wood turned out to be one of American military history's most Pyrrhic victories. In all, a truly Odyssean read.

If you wanted one book that would provide you with a detailed account of America's role in the Great War this is it. The author's cover every aspect of America's involvement in WW1. This book covers everything from the gradual decline in civil liberties, the increase in Govt. agencies power over the individual, the war industry the training and arming of her armed forces to their final deployment on the European battlefield. Although America didn't get into the fighting until the last few months of the war she paid for the privilage with many young American lives. This is a well researched and a well told story and every American should read the book to fully appreciate what their countymen did in 1917-1918.

Often overshadowed by the Second World War, the USA's involvement in the Great War is merely considered as setting the stage for that later conflict. However, American involvement in WWI helped turned the tide in favor of the Allies, and also changed America forever. This excellent book manages to detail America's involvement in WWI from both the point of view of specific battles, and from the perspective of the home front. The main strength of "The Last Days of Innocence" resides in how successful the authors are in explaining how WWI changed the USA's government and it's cultural outlook. Such an effort as training, equipping and sending millions of trained soldiers overseas required a massive mobilization which in turn needed complete cooperation from all stratum of society. Those who didn't cooperate were labeled subversive and investigated. Minorities were given the worst assignments. President Woodrow Wilson thought private organizations could be depended upon to police themselves. The country's longheld philosophy of limited government involvement in the daily lives of its citizens disappeared forever and painfully as a price of going to war. The authors depict accurately how confused and tumultuous all of this was for the average American and how these effects are still being felt today. WWI was truly a turning point for the United States and this book captures its impact and signficance. Highly recommended.

This book had a plethora of good information, but it read quickly and does not bog you down with too much detail. Excellent read.

with two left footed boots,(which their soldiers somtimes had). Meirian & Susie Harries do not flinch in painting an unflattering potrait of America's first foray into a major foreign war. (The Spainish-America war doesn't count.) The French are also skewered as defensive minded, arrogant & totally disdainful of the Americans. Considering the source the Brits get off easily. But this is an American story & it is unique. The army started from ground zero. Its make-up was unlike that of any force before it. Italians, Jews, Poles, Germans, Irish & so many others. These varied ethnic groups would not have associated much with each other at home, during peace. But real nation building for America & a sense of self came out of the war; for the price of 50,000 Ameican lives. African-Americans were the the exception. They could not serve with white American soldiers. They were used as cannon fodder to fill the holes in the French army at the front. The French who had little use for the the American army & its tactics were effusive in their praise of the abilities of the black soldiers they served & fought beside. That the war accelerated many changes in America society cannot be disputed & the Harries do a good job discussing them. The United States got nothing tangible from the peace after World WarI. The Allies wanted none of Wilson's idealism for a new world. France & to a lesser extent England wanted revenge against an exhausted Germany & this guaranteed a future war. It is understandable that the United States turned, with some disgust, away from Europe for over 20 years.