{"product_id":"ring-of-steel-germany-and-austria-hungary-in-world-war-i-9780465094882","title":"Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I","description":"\u003cb\u003eA prize-winning, magisterial history of World War I from the perspective of the defeated Central Powers\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor the Central Powers, the First World War started with high hopes for an easy victory. But those hopes soon deteriorated as Germany's attack on France failed, Austria-Hungary's armies suffered catastrophic losses, and Britain's ruthless blockade brought both nations to the brink of starvation. The Central powers were trapped in the Allies' ever-tightening Ring of Steel. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this compelling history, Alexander Watson retells the war from the perspective of its losers: not just the leaders in Berlin and Vienna, but the people of Central Europe. The war shattered their societies, destroyed their states, and imparted a poisonous legacy of bitterness and violence. A major reevaluation of the First World War, \u003ci\u003eRing of Steel\u003c\/i\u003e is essential for anyone seeking to understand the last century of European history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander Watson\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of history at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eRing of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the Wolfson History Prize and the Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History, and \u003ci\u003eEnduring the Great War\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the Fraenkel Prize.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Basic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50692764795154,"sku":"9780465094882","price":38.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e4c3fe36-8b1c-4d7e-a384-87041ad99064.jpg?v=1734132572","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/ring-of-steel-germany-and-austria-hungary-in-world-war-i-9780465094882","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}