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A Mad Catastrophe: The Outbreak of World War I and the Collapse of the Habsburg Empire Hardcover – Illustrated, April 29, 2014
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The Austro-Hungarian army that attacked Russia and Serbia in August 1914 had a glorious past but a pitiful present. Speaking a mystifying array of languages and lugging obsolete weapons, the Habsburg troops were hopelessly unprepared for the industrialized warfare that would shortly consume Europe. As prizewinning historian Geoffrey Wawro explains in A Mad Catastrophe, the disorganization of these doomed conscripts perfectly mirrored Austria-Hungary itself. For years, the Empire had been rotting from within, hollowed out by complacency and corruption at the highest levels. When Germany goaded Austria into starting the world war, the Empire's profound political and military weaknesses were exposed. By the end of 1914, the Austro-Hungarian army lay in ruins and the course of the war seemed all but decided. Reconstructing the climax of the Austrian campaign in gripping detail, A Mad Catastrophe is a riveting account of how Austria-Hungary plunged the West into a tragic and unnecessary war.
- Print length472 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBasic Books
- Publication dateApril 29, 2014
- Dimensions6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
- ISBN-100465028357
- ISBN-13978-0465028351
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"A Mad Catastrophe finally brings some clarity to how the death of one Archduke, while admittedly tragic, could lead to the deaths of millions.... Wawro's excellently written book, in chilling detail, explains all the frustrating and infuriating blundering. The war was completely senseless, the insane war-lust of a failing state; this book gives Austria-Hungary its rightful, starring role as cause of the conflict." ―San Francisco Book Review
"Wawro writes about the Austro-Hungarian Empire's role in the start and unfolding of the Great War with verve, inescapable black humour and a certain note of there-but-for-the-grace-of-God."―Macleans
"Wawro is a historian of the US military, but his damning portrait of the neurotic empire...well reflects the surreal fiction of Hasek and Musil."―Literary Review, UK
"A Mad Catastrophe is a welcome contribution to the small but growing number of scholarly studies of the eastern front that have appeared in English over the last few years."―BBC History Magazine
"In a year glutted with first world war books, this study stands out for its devastating portrayal of the reckless diplomacy, internal political disarray and incompetent battlefield leadership that dragged Austro-Hungary towards the abyss in 1914. Wawro...offers a remarkably fresh and unsentimental analysis of an empire on its last legs."―Financial Times Best History Books of 2014
"2014 marks the centennial of the outbreak of World War I, and Geoffrey Wawro's A Mad Catastrophe is a welcome addition to the growing list of books covering the causes and development of the horrific war.... Accompanied by detailed maps, his descriptions are blow-by-blow accounts, all written in lively prose. His is a sad story of carnage and destruction that drives home, yet again, the futility and stupidity of this 'Great War.'"―Providence Journal
"2014 marks the centennial of the outbreak of World War I, and Geoffrey Wawro's A Mad Catastrophe is a welcome addition to the growing list of books covering the causes and development of the horrific war.... Accompanied by detailed maps, his descriptions are blow-by-blow accounts, all written in lively prose. His is a sad story of carnage and destruction that drives home, yet again, the futility and stupidity of this 'Great War.'"―Providence Journal
"An engaging case study in the disaster that can happen when interests and capabilities get greatly out of kilter.... Readable and entertaining."―Army Magazine
"A riveting account of a neglected face of WWI."―Military History
"A Mad Catastrophe is a highly readable and cogently argued book that, once again, shows the level of sheer idiocy that lay behind this pivotal period of history."―History of War, UK
"A fascinating addition to the military and diplomatic scholarship surrounding Austria-Hungary's inept move toward war and its incompetent execution of the conflict.... Wawro's book is an excellent account of where plunging over a cliff will land you: in pieces."―MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History
"Wawro's authoritative account is a damning analysis of an empire and a people unready for war."―Publishers Weekly
"Wawro offers a crucial insight into the Eastern Front.... On this centennial of the Great War's beginning, Wawro has composed a thoroughly researched and well-written account, mercilessly debunking any nostalgia for the old monarch and the deeply dysfunctional empire over which he presided."―Kirkus Reviews
"Wawro's contribution lies in his focus on how the overall decline of Austria-Hungary broke relations with the Balkan states and Russia and how its military blundering caused its ultimate destruction. A worthwhile read."―Library Journal
"The most important study of the Eastern Front in decades, Wawro's brilliant and thoroughly researched narrative easily replaces existing books on the subject. Eschewing the Radetzky March nostalgia which so often suffuses books on the last years of the Dual Monarchy, Wawro summons forth a searing indictment of the lethal Austro-Hungarian blundering which helped unleash the First World War and brought all the horrors of the modern age to Eastern Europe."―Sean McMeekin, author of July 1914: Countdown to War
"A distinctly unique and long overdue contribution to the historiography of early WWI. The aficionados of Barbara Tuchman's Guns of August and Istvan Szabo's film Colonel Redl will find this a marvelous, engrossing and distinctly well written read that gives necessary balance to the already well-covered narrative of WWI's Western Front.... Master historian Geoff Wawro does a tour de force job in colorfully bringing this to light."―Brigadier General Peter Zwack, US Army
"A Mad Catastrophe systematically eviscerates Austria-Hungary's final, fatal efforts to play the role of a great power. Wawro presents a case study of culpable, comprehensive, synergistic incompetence at every level of policy-making, strategic planning, and operational effectiveness. A decaying empire went to war fecklessly, conducted war haphazardly, and pulled Europe down into its final vortex. Brilliantly acerbic and comprehensively researched, this is a book difficult to put down."―Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and Rommel: Men of War in the 20th Century
"A Mad Catastrophe is an absorbing and shocking look at a now neglected aspect of the origins of the First World War. The author--a master military historian, whose works are standard accounts of late nineteenth century Austro-Prussian wars--shows just how reckless Viennese policy before and after the outbreak of hostilities was. Wawro's book should be on every reading list and in the hands of every policymaker."―Brendan Simms, author of Europe: The Struggle for Supremacy from 1453 to the Present
"This is not just a story of the part played by the Hapsburg Empire in precipitating the First World War, and of the truly lamentable performance of its armies once the war began. It is a devastating indictment of a whole regime, whose slovenly incompetence resulted in a military catastrophe of which Geoff Wawro gives a truly horrifying account. Of all the histories of 1914 that are now pouring from the press, this will rank among the very best." ―Sir Michael Howard
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Basic Books; 1st edition (April 29, 2014)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 472 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0465028357
- ISBN-13 : 978-0465028351
- Item Weight : 0.035 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #484,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #587 in World War I History (Books)
- #5,885 in European History (Books)
- #12,198 in World History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

History has always fascinated me, for it marks and foreshadows the never-ending follies and triumphs of man. As a military historian, I was trained to think in terms of governments, armies, fleets, and sweeping change, but, as a practitioner, up to my elbows in the dust of archives, I glimpsed something new. History is made by individuals, not masses and movements. Read my books on the German Wars of Unification or World War I, and you'll see how distracted, dilettantish or simply inept human beings fumbled away great opportunities, and let "forces of history," that might otherwise have been reversed or contained, sweep over them. I've always augmented research on these wars with visits to the battlefields, in places like the Czech Republic, France, Poland, Ukraine, Serbia, Syria, Israel, Lebanon or Egypt. Only there, on the proverbial "captain's hill," can the historian finally put all of the pieces together, and see how victory or defeat was achieved.
My latest book is Sons of Freedom: The Forgotten American Soldiers Who Defeated Germany in World War I. It is a riveting book that shows just how crucial the A.E.F. was to Allied victory in 1918. Without the U.S. intervention and hard fighting, the British and French would have been unable to win the war, and would probably have lost it -- as the book demonstrates. My book A Mad Catastrophe: The Outbreak of World War I and the Collapse of the Habsburg Empire is a deep dive into the shambles of the Habsburg Empire in its waning years and its truly abysmal performance in the Great War. My two books on Bismarck's wars, The Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, are fascinating reexaminations of the two most consequential wars in nineteenth century Europe. They are deftly written and based on a wealth of archival research, distinguishing them from other histories based on less reliable and revealing published sources. Warfare and Society in Europe 1792-1914 was required reading in West Point's History of the Military Art course for several years. The U.S. Military Academy chose it, over many competitors, because of the taut and interesting way in which it presents the interplay of politics, society, diplomacy, technology, and military decision-making in the action-packed years between the French Revolution and World War I. Read it to see why it was the choice of the Army's service academy before they transitioned to an online curriculum.
My book on the Middle East -- Quicksand -- is a highly readable history of the Middle East from the Balfour Declaration to the Bush Doctrine. Sourced in British and American archives -- using much previously classified material -- it does something new: it explains how the U.S. emerged in the years between Woodrow Wilson and Barack Obama as the dominant power in the Middle East, but with such burdensome, debilitating liabilities. It explains how and why we crafted alliances that don't even benefit us, and a regional dominance that erodes us.
History is eye-opening. It's the enemy of sentiment, and the shovel that digs up the truth. Follow me on: geoffreywawro.com
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The illusion that armies must attack at all costs, that the offensive was the crucial, essential ingredient to military success in 1914 was hardly confined to Conrad or Austria. The exact same philosophy and it disastrous consequences were embraced by France's Joffre, Italy's Cadorna and many other commanders The British headlong, mass attacks against entrenched infantry with machine guns and artillery in the Battle of the Somme which resulted in over 600,000 casualties took place in 1916. You would think an "advanced" power like Britain and its commander, Haig, would have learned by then not to do this. Austria was not unique at all in failing to initially recognize the futility of mass shock tactics by infantry in the industrial age by any measure, but you would never understand that by reading this book. Likewise, the shell and ammunition shortages that plagued the logistics of the Imperial army were also experienced by Britain, Russia and the other great powers and for the same reasons. Nobody expected a war to last more than a few months and had not prepared accordingly.
Wawro is highly critical of the society and politics of the Empire, attributing the "rot" within to its defeats in the field. Again, the critique has merit, certainly, but compared to what? The tsarist regime in Russia? The Ottoman Empire in Turkey? The Italian monarchy? The thing that distinguished Austria from so many of the other great powers was its low investment in its military establishment and its near half century of peace since its defeat in 1866. It also had many aggressive enemies willing to attack it for the sole purpose of tearing off provinces and territory to satisfy their own ambition. Wawro glosses over the fact that the Serbian regime in 1914 was riddled with fanatical imperialists with the declared goal of annexing Austrian Bosnia, Croatia and Dalmatia to create a greater Serbian state, whether they liked it or not and by force if need be. Serbia provoked the war by committing a terrorist act that no sovereign country would ever allow to go unanswered. Austria was not goaded into war by Germany but viewed its situation in 1914 like any other nation would and felt it had to respond to a threat to survive. Christopher Clark's fairly new book, The Sleepwalkers, explores all this in detail and gives a far more balanced account of the causes and origins of the war that you will not get here.
Austria-Hungary was a unique, cosmopolitan Empire unlike any in Europe in that no single national group made up anything close to a majority. The faults of the Emperor and the Empire were mainly that they were too lenient with the more fanatical leaders of some of the minorities, but with the accession of Franz Ferdinand, how things might have changed. In the meantime, Austrian and Hungarian society blossomed, producing some of the best artists, composers, medicine, economists, psychologists and philosophers in European history. What came after, when the Empire collapsed after the war makes the troubles and problems with which the kaiser and his cabinets grappled in the years before the war look tame by comparison.
I commend the book from a military history point of view as the best I have ever read in explaining the military campaigns of the opening year of the war in the East. I will read any book by Greg Wawro who is unquestionably one of our best military historians today. I just wish that this book had a bit more perspective and balance.
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2015
The illusion that armies must attack at all costs, that the offensive was the crucial, essential ingredient to military success in 1914 was hardly confined to Conrad or Austria. The exact same philosophy and it disastrous consequences were embraced by France's Joffre, Italy's Cadorna and many other commanders The British headlong, mass attacks against entrenched infantry with machine guns and artillery in the Battle of the Somme which resulted in over 600,000 casualties took place in 1916. You would think an "advanced" power like Britain and its commander, Haig, would have learned by then not to do this. Austria was not unique at all in failing to initially recognize the futility of mass shock tactics by infantry in the industrial age by any measure, but you would never understand that by reading this book. Likewise, the shell and ammunition shortages that plagued the logistics of the Imperial army were also experienced by Britain, Russia and the other great powers and for the same reasons. Nobody expected a war to last more than a few months and had not prepared accordingly.
Wawro is highly critical of the society and politics of the Empire, attributing the "rot" within to its defeats in the field. Again, the critique has merit, certainly, but compared to what? The tsarist regime in Russia? The Ottoman Empire in Turkey? The Italian monarchy? The thing that distinguished Austria from so many of the other great powers was its low investment in its military establishment and its near half century of peace since its defeat in 1866. It also had many aggressive enemies willing to attack it for the sole purpose of tearing off provinces and territory to satisfy their own ambition. Wawro glosses over the fact that the Serbian regime in 1914 was riddled with fanatical imperialists with the declared goal of annexing Austrian Bosnia, Croatia and Dalmatia to create a greater Serbian state, whether they liked it or not and by force if need be. Serbia provoked the war by committing a terrorist act that no sovereign country would ever allow to go unanswered. Austria was not goaded into war by Germany but viewed its situation in 1914 like any other nation would and felt it had to respond to a threat to survive. Christopher Clark's fairly new book, The Sleepwalkers, explores all this in detail and gives a far more balanced account of the causes and origins of the war that you will not get here.
Austria-Hungary was a unique, cosmopolitan Empire unlike any in Europe in that no single national group made up anything close to a majority. The faults of the Emperor and the Empire were mainly that they were too lenient with the more fanatical leaders of some of the minorities, but with the accession of Franz Ferdinand, how things might have changed. In the meantime, Austrian and Hungarian society blossomed, producing some of the best artists, composers, medicine, economists, psychologists and philosophers in European history. What came after, when the Empire collapsed after the war makes the troubles and problems with which the kaiser and his cabinets grappled in the years before the war look tame by comparison.
I commend the book from a military history point of view as the best I have ever read in explaining the military campaigns of the opening year of the war in the East. I will read any book by Greg Wawro who is unquestionably one of our best military historians today. I just wish that this book had a bit more perspective and balance.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire by 1900 had seen better days. Joining with Hungary under very uneven terms in 1867 - the Hungarians came out ahead of the Austrians and the other nationalities crowded under the flag - had led to an almost totally dysfunctional government, ruled jointly from Vienna and Budapest. The empire - competing with the Ottoman Empire for the title "Sick Man of Europe" - was a conflagration of differing ethnic peoples, ranging from Catholic Poles in Galicia, to Muslims in the south, and Jews spread throughout. Many languages were spoken within the empire and there was no cohesive government. There was also no cohesive military system, either. The armies did not have up-to-date equipment and organisation within the army was dismal. The officer corps was basically badly paid and moving up the ranks was difficult. The army was really a relic from the 1860's and was not prepared to fight 20th century wars. Of course, they were very little different from Russia and other European countries - other than Germany and France - who had made little preparation to fight. However, Austro-Hungary had a very small base on whom to call to fight, unlike Russia, who had millions potential soldiers.
Geoffrey Wawro examines the Austro-Hungarian Empire in both military and political terms. He does a good job of framing both the times and the problems of those times. He takes a careful look at the people who made up the government and military in the early 1900's and traces the problems then back in time to the mid-to-late 1800's. What business the Empire had in committing itself and armies to the German side is explained in detail. Also explained are the battles of 1914 with Serbia and Russia, all of which were dismal disasters for the Empire.
I found both Wawro's writing and use of maps very good. I was reading the hardback but the book is available in Kindle. In general I avoid Kindle copies of histories because I find that maps and pictures don't usually translate well to the screen. No matter how you read it - print or Kindle - this excellent book shouldn't be missed by the armchair historians it was aimed for.
Top reviews from other countries
Anyone wishing to understand the present Ukrainian-Russian imbroglio and its implications for the stability of Europe would do well to read Geoffrey Wawro’s new book on the outbreak of WWI and the rapid implosion of the Austro Hungarian Empire. The author, a major authority on Austro Prussian wars, shows how feckless Viennese policies before and following the outbreak of war led to the defeat, break up and dismemberment of the Empire and a complete rearrangement of the political geography of Central and Eastern Europe. Unlike Christopher Clarke’s ‘The Sleepwalkers’ analysis of the historical-event underpinnings, political judgments and misjudgments, leading to WWI and its outcome, Wawro examines the military side of things right down to battalion levels on Austro-German-Hungarian and Russian and Serbian forces with well-drafted tactical maps in place for major engagements. The Empire’s armies led by ‘chateau generals’ reminds one of England’s BEF chief, Field Marshall Haig, operating far behind the front trenches, marching on parade, planning suicidal battles all supported by a patriotic press afraid to come forth with realistic reporting of ground gained, and lost again, to be retaken at enormous cost of life. Aside from Germany prodding the Empire into war with Serbia and Russia, the failure on the part of the Hapsburg Empire’s military chief Conrad von Hötzendorf and his generals to bring the army up to the standards of an industrialized military coupled with a polyglot army speaking an amazing array of languages, hopelessly outfitted and corrupted from the top down, it took only six months for the dual monarchy to lay in ruins. According to Wawro, what is even more amazing is that the Empire chief spent more time musing about his mistress, dusting off old outmoded battle plans, and concocting inter-army rivalries than focused attention to a fast-changing battle front as millions died in the first few months of war.
Just one hundred years later history repeats itself, quoting Karl Marx possibly farcically, this time with east-west components reversed--Russia marching west annexing Crimea under pretext of protecting Russians and spilling troops deeper into Ukraine supporting insurgents north of the Sea of Azov. Facing east, the Ukrainian Army has managed to contain the insurgents but is ill equipped to confront the mechanized fire power of the Russian Army. Sensing a lack of resolve among NATO partners for a ground confrontation, Russia aims to regain clout on the international scene by slowly annexing as much of Ukraine as NATO, the Ukrainians and Germany will allow. Slow erosion of money, troops and equipment within NATO over the last couple of decades are reminiscent of the lack of preparation of materiel and training within the Empire, which when coupled with an incoherent strategy led to defeat. Let’s hope NATO strategists develop a plan to effectively deal with ongoing Russian aggression or the Russians may rearrange the political boundaries of Central and Eastern Europe once again.
--Bill Mahaney, author of The Warmaker-Hannibal’s Invasion of Italia and the Aftermath, The Golden Till, and Operation Black Eagle.
The book goes into detail regarding the start of the war, inclusive of the background preparation that was simmering for years, with Germany and Austria sort of preparing for war and waiting only for a good excuse to start it. Some of the details are even too detailed, and the point of the Austrians being a bunch of irresponsible, incompetent criminals hammered in. Still, it can be interesting if you know nothing about the Eastern Front.










