The dramatic and little-known story of how, in the summer of 1920, Lenin came within a hair's breadth of shattering the painstakingly constructed Versailles peace settlement and spreading Bolshevism to western Europe.
In the wake of his disastrous Russian campaign of 1812, Napoleon's imperious grip on Europe began to weaken, raising the question of how the Continent was to be reconstructed after his defeat. There were many who dreamed of a peace to end all wars, in which the interests of peoples as well as those of rulers would be taken into account. But what followed was an unseemly and at times brutal scramble for territory by the most powerful states, in which countries were traded as if they had been private and their inhabitants counted like cattle.
The results, fixed at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, not only laid the foundations of the European world we know; it put in place a social order and a security system that lie at the root of many of the problems which dog the world today. Although the defining moments took place in Vienna, and the principle players included Tsar Alexander I of Russia, the Austrian Chancellor Metternich, the Duke of Wellington and the French master of diplomacy Talleyrand, as well as Napoleon himself, the accepted view of the gathering of statesmen reordering the Continent in elegant salons is a false one. Many of the crucial questions were decided on the battlefield or in squalid roadside cottages amid the vagaries of war. And the proceedings in Vienna itself were not as decorous as is usually represented.
Drawing on a wide range of first-hand sources in six languages, which include not only official documents, private letters, diaries and first-hand accounts, but also the reports of police spies and informers, Adam Zamoyski gets below the thin veneer of courtliness and reveals that the new Europe was forged by men in thrall to fear, greed and lust, in an atmosphere of moral depravity in which sexual favours were traded as readily as provinces and the 'souls' who inhabited them. He has created a chilling account, full of menace as well as frivolity.
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Praise for 1812: Napoleon’s Fatal March on Moscow:
‘An utterly admirable book. It combines clarity of thought and prose with a strong narrative drive.’ Daily Telegraph
In the wake of his disastrous Russian campaign of 1812, Napoleon's imperious grip on Europe began to weaken, raising the question of how the Continent was to be reconstructed after his defeat. There were many who dreamed of a peace to end all wars, in which the interests of peoples as well as those of rulers would be taken into account. But what followed was an unseemly and at times brutal scramble for territory by the most powerful states, in which countries were traded as if they had been private and their inhabitants counted like cattle.
The results, fixed at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, not only laid the foundations of the European world we know; it put in place a social order and a security system that lie at the root of many of the problems which dog the world today. Although the defining moments took place in Vienna, and the principle players included Tsar Alexander I of Russia, the Austrian Chancellor Metternich, the Duke of Wellington and the French master of diplomacy Talleyrand, as well as Napoleon himself, the accepted view of the gathering of statesmen reordering the Continent in elegant salons is a false one. Many of the crucial questions were decided on the battlefield or in squalid roadside cottages amid the vagaries of war. And the proceedings in Vienna itself were not as decorous as is usually represented.
Drawing on a wide range of first-hand sources in six languages, which include not only official documents, private letters, diaries and first-hand accounts, but also the reports of police spies and informers, Adam Zamoyski gets below the thin veneer of courtliness and reveals that the new Europe was forged by men in thrall to fear, greed and lust, in an atmosphere of moral depravity in which sexual favours were traded as readily as provinces and the 'souls' who inhabited them. He has created a chilling account, full of menace as well as frivolity.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Book Description Condition: Very Good. 1607869865. 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM. Seller Inventory # U9780007253791
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Seller Inventory # CHL9155812
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. An as new soft pack of 634 pages with an as new soft cover. In the wake of his disastrous Russian campaign of 1812 where Napoleon's imperious grip on Europe began to weaken after his defeat at the hands of Russia's greatest generals, November and December. Seller Inventory # 009248
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. 634 pages. Seller Inventory # 2830h
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 634 pages. Civer lightly wornFollowing on from his epic and b estselling '1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow' Adam Zamoyski has written the dramatic story of the Congress of Vienna 1813-15 ], which was to bring about the political reshaping of Europe and whose legacy affected international relations for a century. The collapse of the French Empire and Napoleon's swift disappearance into exile left a void which 'the big four' -- Russia, Prussia, Britain and Austria -- were desperate to fill. Taking advantage o f the riches left behind were important personalities that includ ed Tsar Alexander, King Frederick William III of Prussia, Count M atternich, the Machiavellian Prince de Talleyrand likened by Napo leon to 'shit in a silk stocking'] and the British Lord Castlerea gh. Following in close succession were the sabre-rattling general s, heartened by their recent victories and obsessed with gaining as many fortresses and strong river boundaries for their countrie s as possible. The final act was to dash many of the liberal hope s and dreams for a more equitable order throughout Europe, with f atal consequences for the future. the five Continental Powers and at the expense of the weaker nations. The Congress was the great est party the world has ever seen -- a huge gathering of two empe rors, eleven sovereign princes, ninety plenipotentiaries plus cou rt-loads of servants, cooks, secretaries, etc. Zamoyski has writt en a detailed study of these intrigues and negotiations producing a marvelously heady brew that results in a fascinating and gripp ing read. Seller Inventory # 2196a
Book Description Paperback. The dramatic and little-known story of how, in the summer of 1920, Lenin came within a hair's breadth of shattering the painstakingly constructed Versailles peace settlement and spreading Bolshevism to western Europe. In 1920 the new Soviet state was a mess, following a brutal civil war, and the best way of ensuring its survival appeared to be to export the revolution to Germany, itself economically ruined by defeat in World War I and racked by internal political dissension. Between Russia and Germany lay Poland, a nation that had only just recovered its independence after more than a century of foreign oppression. But it was economically and militarily weak and its misguided offensive to liberate the Ukraine in the spring of 1920 laid it open to attack. Egged on by Trotsky, Lenin launched a massive westward advance under the flamboyant Marshal Tukhachevsky. All that Great Britain and France had fought for over four years now seemed at risk. By the middle of August the Russians were only a few kilometres from Warsaw, and Berlin was less than a week's march away. Then occurred the 'Miracle of the Vistula': the Polish army led by Jozef Pilsudski regrouped and achieved one of the most decisive victories in military history. As a result, the Versailles peace settlement survived, and Lenin was forced to settle for communism in one country. The battle for Warsaw bought Europe nearly two decades of peace, and communism remained a mainly Russian phenomenon, subsuming many of the autocratic and Byzantine characteristics of Russia's tsarist tradition. First published 2007. Seller Inventory # 8818420
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. xviii+634pp., Colour illustrated covers with light crease to spine & light shelf wear, intro. by author, b/w maps, col. & b/w plts. & text ills., notes, bibliog., index. In the wake of his disastrous Russian campaign of 1812, Napoleon's imperious grip on Europe began to weaken, raising the question of how the Continent was to be reconstructed after his defeat. Size: Thick Octavo. Book. Seller Inventory # 001403
Book Description Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 24-0007253796-G
Book Description Condition: VeryGood. Pages are clean! The cover has visible markings and wear. Some writing on the text block edge There are some creases on the spine Fast Shipping - Each order powers our free bookstore in Chicago and sending books to Africa!. Seller Inventory # 5D4WH50003FI_ns