The Proud Tower

A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914

By: Barbara W. Tuchman

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Length: 22 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

"The diplomatic origins, so-called, of the War are only the fever chart of the patient; they do not tell us what caused the fever. To probe for underlying causes and deeper forces one must operate within the framework of a whole society and try to discover what moved the people in it." (Barbara W. Tuchman)

The fateful quarter-century leading up to World War I was a time when the world of privilege still existed in Olympian luxury and the world of protest was heaving in its pain, its power, and its hate. The age was the climax of a century of the most accelerated rate of change in history, a cataclysmic shaping of destiny.

In The Proud Tower, Barbara Tuchman concentrates on society rather than the state. With an artist's selectivity, Tuchman brings to vivid life the people, places, and events that shaped the years leading up to the Great War: the Edwardian aristocracy and the end of their reign; the Anarchists of Europe and America, who voiced the protest of the oppressed; Germany, as portrayed through the figure of the self-depicted hero, Richard Strauss; the sudden gorgeous blaze of Diaghilev's Russian Ballet and Stravinsky's music; the Dreyfus Affair; the two Peace Conferences at the Hague; and, finally, the youth, ideals, enthusiasm, and tragedy of Socialism, epitomized in the moment when the heroic Jean Jaures was shot to death on the night the War began and an epoch ended.

©1996 Barbara W. Tuchman (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"It would be impossible to read The Proud Tower without pleasure and admiration." (The New York Times)

"Tuchman proved in The Guns of August that she could write better military history than most men. In this sequel, she tells her story with cool wit and warm understanding." (Time)

Fascinating history

This is a compelling cultural and political portrait of the world prior to World War I. The author's method is to focus closely on personalities and movements around the world. The treatment of Germany via Richard Strauss is fascinating. Her portrait of the anarchists shows surprising parallels with today's terrorists, and you can be sure it is not anachronistic, because this book was published in the early 1960s. There is much more.

Nadia May is a superb narrator for long complex non-fiction works such as this. I marvel at her ability to intelligently sustain drive and interest with this type of text.

Fascinating preview for The Guns of August

Would you listen to The Proud Tower again? Why?

This book helps listeners make and understand connections between social movements in different countries in Europe and America duirng the 25 years preceding World War I. I have listened to it twice because I am still learning from this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Proud Tower?

The history of the Dreyfus affair is fascinating, and it helped me understand some of the many social problems and insecurities in France at the turn of the 20th century. I also enjoyed learning about the history of socialist and anarchist movements in Europe. Tuchman also examines German composer Richard Strauss and rapid changes in classical music during the period before the war. There were scandalous operas and triumphant ballets - which is even more interesting because of the international importance of classical music in that period of tremendous competition between countries in so many aspects of military, economic and social life.

What about Nadia May’s performance did you like?

Nadia May has a warm and enjoyable reading style. I deliberately purchased other books narrated by her.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Prelude to disaster

Any additional comments?

I would very much appreciate music credits for books such as this one (and The Guns of August) that make use of a musical theme at the beginning and end of the recording. It seems unfair not to provide listeners with this information and it is certainly unfair to the musicians.

The Birth of the Modern World

The Proud Tower opens with a description of the British Parliament, which had changed little since the end of the English Civil War and later it goes on to paint a picture of an equally archaic German near-absolute monarchy, it chronicles class divisions that would not have seemed unfamiliar to a medieval lord. But it also discusses the rising impact of liberalism, communism, and anarchy, the social forces that were spawned as a result of the industrial revolution. This book is ultimately about the clash between these forces, between the old world and the new. It demonstrates, though not intentionally, the dangers posed by both extremes and the benefits of compromise; but it also demonstrates that compromise was not always possible and, because of this fact, the eventual inevitability of the Great War. It is a story about the birth of modern western civilization and the pains we went through in achieving it. In many ways a prequel to her monumental work The Guns of August, I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest either in the Great War or in our modern cultural, social, and political institutions and how they came to be.

Barbara W. Tuchman's history book The Proud Tower

This book is a survey of what was happening in Europe prior to the horror of the War To End All Wars, The Great War 1914-18. A small spark, the assassination of two obscure European royals, ignited a European conflagration that engulfed millions, destroyed four Empires, launched a pandemic of flu afterwards killing millions more and the ensuing Versailles Treaty ensured a second and far worse global conflict. Wanda McCaddon is outstanding as narrator.

great audio book.

great audio book. it can get detailed at times so don't try to remember all the names but instead get a sense of the story. recommend if you have the time

A great book spoiled by the reader.

Barbara Tuchman is the most readable popular history writer and her fascinating book should be the most listenable. But the performance by the reader is terrible due to one fatal flaw. She insists on using accents that irritate your ears. Why read an English translation of a Frenchman’s statement with a false French accent? He didn’t speak those English words with a French accent. Most quoted passages are writings not speeches. Test she reads with her bad accent anyway. She does the same with other languages: German especially. It ruined my listening experience.

A MUST READ…

…for anyone interested in understanding the ground from which World War I germinated and grew.

Liked the book, liked the narrator

I, too, started with "A Distant Mirror," which I've read in print twice (20 years apart), and I've always liked Tuchman's ability to use a few singular characters to illustrate the broad strokes of an era. Having listened to several Henry James, Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf, et al, novels recently, I realized I didn't really have a comprehensive view of late 19th century/pre-WWI political and social history, and I was pleased to find Tuchman had written about the era. Like Simon Winchester, she uses gem-quality details to bring both place and time to life.

I enjoyed the narration very much, but this is clearly a very subjective matter. I have listened to several books (coincidentally) narrated by May, and I really like her tone, her accent(s), her voicings, and her pace. I learned early on in my Audible membership to listen to a sample before downloading, and I am still grateful for classics that offer several narrator options.

Great Prequel to The Guns of August

If you are a student of the First World War history, then this book is essential. You can also see parallels to our own time and I guess far into the future. From what Barabara Tuchman describes, I am sure I don't think I would of liked to live in the few decades before the war as it was a train wreck waiting to happen. They could all see it coming and nobody really could apply a break. I think they wanted it. Nadia May is superb in narrating this book.

Perhaps Better in Print

A messy collection of random facts. If I could see a table of contents maybe there would be some organization. There is no conclusion, no summary. Very disappointed - I slogged through all 15 or so hours and know little more than I did beforehand.