Customer Reviews

World War I: The Rest of the Story and How It Affects You Today, 1870 to 1935 (Uncle Eric Book)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book treats history as an interconnected series of cause and effect, unlike the "isolated events" approach that your high school teacher used.

The spine of the book is Maybury's Ten Deadly Ideas That Lead to War:
1. Pax Romana
2. Fascism
3. Love of political power
4. Global protection
5. "Interests"
6. Cost externalization
7. Manifest Destiny
8. The White Man's Burden (now Washington DC's Burden)
9. Alliances
10. The glory of war

Some other things I found interesting about the book:
- People often say that there is no way to win a guerilla war. Maybury shows that there is a way, and the US Government used it to win the war in the Philippines.
- Who made the first move of aggression, the US Government or Japan?
- How did the US Government get the land to build the Panama Canal?
- Why were the German people so supportive of Hitler after WWI?
- Why was the US Government (particularly Woodrow Wilson) responsible for prolonging WWI and creating the conditions for WWII.

Maybury draws a distinct difference between America as a country and the US Government and he states that unfortunately "patriotism" is often seen as support for one's government instead of love for one's country. It reminds me of GK Chesterson remarking that "My country right or wrong" was like saying, "My mother drunk or sober."

After reading this book, you'll never be able to hear phrases like "make the world safe for democracy" and "project power" again without feeling nauseous. Maybury shows how the propaganda for interventionism developed in the late 19th century and has continued up to the present. It's amazing how much Bush's current rhetoric sounds like Woodrow Wilson's before WWI.

Maybury describes the book as "anti-war letters written by an extreme militarist." He does not take the view of Orwell's pacifist who thinks that the enemy will treat him well because he did not put up a fight. But he also is not ready to fight other nations' wars and get involved with their land grabs. "The best defense is a good offense" is only true when you're keeping score on the football field, not when you're talking about killing people.

Some people get indignant at the phrase "American Empire," but a quick look at history shows how accurate it is. Only God knows how much longer we'll be able to keep the wolf by the ears.

I am a retired military officer with great respect for American history and especially for those who have carried the burden of our nation's wars. Before reading this book, I viewed most if not all of America's military encounters as essential or at least justified. As a result, when I first bgan reading this book out loud to my children as part of a school curriculum, I almost had to stop--it seemed un-American. I'm so glad I stuck it out. Maybury is right. Even if you don't agree, read this book to test your point of view--does it really hold up? Do you need to reconsider? What really IS worth fighting and dieing for?

I remain a firm believer in the need for national defense and the sobering reality that war will sometimes visit itself upon us whether we want it or deserve it. However, I am utterly convinced Maybury is on to a way of thinking we would be fortunate to pursue as a nation--and without sacrificing our freedom.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. Even better--read it aloud with your children.

By the way--Maybury served in the US Air Force in covert operations...

All of us know quite a lot about the actual battles of the World Wars. Practically all Americans have heard of the trench warfare that took place in WWI, the Holocaust, D-Day, Pearl Harbor, and that fateful first atomic bomb.

But how many of us understand what caused these tragic wars? How many understand the mistakes that were made that led up to these wars? Unfortunately, many of us don't. But, thankfully, Richard Maybury, who calls himself "Uncle Eric", has written books on these wars that attempt to answer these questions. While this book is about World War One, it is about much more than that particular conflict. Uncle Eric lays out the root causes of war, and reading this book will also aid in your understanding of many other wars.

In this book, Uncle Eric lists what he calls "The Ten Deadly Ideas That Lead to War." The list is as follows:

1. The Pax Romana
2. Fascism
3. Love of Political Power
4. Global Protection
5. Interests
6. Cost externalization
7. Manifest Destiny
8. The White Man's Burden (or Anglo Saxonism)
9. Alliance
10. The glory of war

At least a chapter is spent discussing each of these points. Uncle Eric then describes how these causes lead to World War One. Uncle Eric writes in a very readable, concise manner. This book is written with a younger audience in mind, but there is no reason why adults could not appreciate it.

Buy this book, and also buy its sequel - World War II: The Rest of the Story and How It Affects You Today, 1930 to September 11, 2001 (Uncle Eric Book).

This book is one of the best I've read on WWI. It exposes the truth that a lot of teachers don't teach in school. I highly recommend it for anyone age 9 and up!

I am not a history buff, but I was looking for a good history curriculum for home school. It and the World War II book were the most interesting history books I have ever read. Not only that, but the author presents points that you will not read in your average history book. Be prepared to have your eyes opened.

It is in keeping with all of the Uncle Eric Books. Very valuable and easy to read. I bought the entire series for myself, and selected books for my nieces and nephews as birthday and Christmas gifts. All teenagers should read the series.

I have several Uncle Eric books, and really enjoy them. Pound for pound, these little books, although written in a simple, straightforward style, provide the most insight and comprehension of various subjects; they help one "see the forest for the trees" in many respects. Although written as if to a junior-high age teen or older, this works well also as a vehicle in communicating to adults as well---even serious students of history, politics, philosophy and economics such as myself. I believe, after our a lifetime of having our principles and values buffeted and undermined by government indoctrination, and its statist ideas, it does perhaps require such a "back-to-basics" style to unravel such damage, and get us to be open-minded again.

I bought this book after I read Whatever Happened to Penny Candy, hoping to supplement our homeschool history program. I decided to read it first to my husband, a Lt Col in the USAF (with tactical experience in both Gulf Wars), to see what he thought of it first. Honestly, we couldn't finish it. While Richard Maybury brings out some good points about historical events - things you don't hear often- he also leaves out a deal. He says up front he has a bias, but my husband considered the book biased to the point of dishonest propaganda - something Maybury says the US Government has used almost since day one. He's entitled to his opinion, but his ideas about how the country should be run are simplistic to the point of absurdity, and, my husband says, completely unworkable in this day of airplanes, missiles, and dirty bombs.
Maybury should stick to economics. I cannot recommend this book.