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    Six Months That Changed the World: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919
    Six Months That Changed the World: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919
    Six Months That Changed the World: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919
    Audiobook7 hours

    Six Months That Changed the World: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919

    Written by Margaret MacMillan

    Narrated by Margaret MacMillan

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The world will never see another peace conference like the one that took place in Paris in 1919. For six months, the world's major leaders - including Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States, David Lloyd George, prime minister of Great Britain, and Georges Clemenceau, prime minister of France - met to discuss the peace settlements to end World War I. They faced huge issues and, as the weeks went by, their agenda grew.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateSep 12, 2008
    ISBN9781436172868
    Six Months That Changed the World: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919
    Author

    Margaret MacMillan

    One of Canada’s most eminent scholars and writers, Margaret MacMillan is a Professor of History at the University of Toronto and emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Oxford.

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    Reviews for Six Months That Changed the World

    4.5/5

    42 ratings25 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Paris 1919 was an engaging character study of the Big Three: Georges Clemenceau, Lloyd George, and President Wilson. As an American, my history classes were inadequate on the subject of World War I. This book sent me to hunt for information in Wikipedia to bridge the gaps in my knowledge many times.MacMillan skillfully portrayed the expectations that were heaped upon the Peace Conference, and she also showed that the hopes and ideals were beyond the reach of men. Men with large staffs of intelligent advisors often ended up giving in to the forcefulness or charm of men who were grabbing territory and resources. I gained a better understanding of the troubles that have plagued the Slovaks, the Kurds, and even the Chinese. This book covered a neglected part of history -- The Peace.Ultimately, the shattered ideals of most of the key players in the book ended the story. I found President Wilson's story quite poinant. The one thing I did learn from my history education was that President Wilson failed to gain approval of the League of Nations that he so dearly believed in.This book was the beginning of my study of Modern History. It gave me a good understanding of the geography, personalities and the events that were affected by the Peacemakers after WWI. I would recommend it.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Very comprehensive account of the Paris Peace Conference. Atfer the first part which sets up the history, characters and nations going into the conference it deals with each geographical area rather than a chronology of events. Given the complex negotiations and the constant switching between items discussed, this approach was perhaps enviatable to preseve some coherence and keep the reader onside with events. It does though sometimes make it hard to get a flavour of the talks as they progressed and the fact Wilson went back to america during the negotiations loses the importance I feel it would have had. However, dealing with each area provides a great reference to come back to and Macmillan does a good job of following through the consequences of what was decided right through to the modern day, e.g. the mess that is now Iraq, makes better sense knowing how it was thrown together.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      David Lloyd George was the author's great-grandfather. Similar to Barbara Tuchman, she is very familiar with the foibles of the ruling class. Her character vignettes are a joy to read. She truly manages to evoke the flair of the period and the city. Her book provides both a good account of the peace negotiations and a summary of the resolutions for the discussed territories. The end of the First World War saw the collapse of the Eastern European empires of Germany, Austria, Russia and the Ottoman Empire. MacMillan highlights the American and French failure in creating viable and ethnically sound units. In my opinion, she is too soft on the often pernicious British influence (especially in the Middle East).The peace negotiations were doomed from the start, as the German acceptance of a preliminary peace had not resulted in an occupation of the defeated's territory. Thus, the odd situation that the Allies could not really exert pressure upon the Germans. On the other hand, the Allies wanted to transfer the cost of this senseless war upon the shoulders of those least able to bear them. The unwillingness of the US establishment to accept international responsibilities and to refinance and net the war debts of its Allies was the underlying cause of the treaty's failure. The excessive French demands were only secondary in nature. As Keynes had shown, Germany could have paid a fairly calculated war debt if given economic aid at the same time. Given that for half a year, the world's politicians worked alongside one another in one city, the fruits of its labor were barren. The prize for the worst behaved negotiators clearly goes to the Italians whose ineptitude during the war turned into a gargantuan appetite during the peace negotiations. No wonder that it was the first to fall into fascism.Highly recommended.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I rarely give out five stars--that's deliberate--but this is so illuminating on a complex topic without being dry, I think it deserves full marks. The book treats of "six months that changed the world"--the Paris Peace Conference that produced the Treaty of Versailles. I was taught in high school that the vindictive terms of that treaty were ruinous to Germany and at the root of Hitler's rise and the outbreak of World War II. It was a view popularized by John Maynard Keynes (who was involved in the peace process--as was Winston Churchill. There were some interesting and unexpected players in this story.) MacMillan makes the case it was by no means so simple. That among other things, that especially since the terms were never really enforced, you can't really blame the treaty for what would happen over the next decades. I think what really astonished me about the peace conference though was just how many fingers were in how many pies. Yes, some developments such as establishment of Poland, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were fait accomplis by the time the conference started, but it was largely this conference, and especially the "Big Three" of France, Britain, and the United States who drew the borders. And not just of Europe, but in Africa and the Middle East as well, and we're still dealing with the messy after effects. To take one example, Iraq was created from three different provinces of the recently defunct Ottoman Empire and drawn to suit colonial ambitions of the British and French--not along historical lines or reasons of ethnic cohesion. Roots not just of World War II, but Greek/Turkish, Jewish/Arab, Bosnia/Serb, Chinese/Japanese conflicts can be traced back here. It's all very complicated, and it's a very, very long book (around 600 pages) but part of what makes it digestible is that MacMillan breaks it up regionally, following say the personalities of the newly emerging Yugoslavia and following up on its ultimate fate and how it was affected by those six months in 1919.I think it also escapes being dry due to how well drawn are the various personalities involved. MacMillan deals with many of the leaders from the newly emerging states, but her primary focus is on the leaders of the Big Three: Woodrow Wilson of the United States, Clemenceau of France and Lloyd George of Britain. Wilson seemed from the portrait painted here a dangerous mix of naive and stubborn. His precious League of Nations became an idee fixe that overrode all other issues. If there was a problem with the deals emerging, it seems Wilson would wave it away with the idea the League of Nations would fix it. At the same time, his stubborn inflexibility, his dogmatism and partisanship doomed the acceptance of the League and the Treaty back in the United States. And those very ideals, particularly "self-determination" as enunciated in his 14 Points, raised unrealistic expectations and caused bitter disappointment. Clemenceau comes across as vengeful and vindictive towards the Germans. At the same time, given what MacMillan detailed of France's losses in the war, and its geography that didn't put a channel, let alone an ocean, between it and Germany, Clemenceau's determination to keep Germany weak is understandable. I got less of a fix on Lloyd George. Some called him "vacillating" and "unprincipled" according to MacMillan. He seemed the opposite of Wilson--much more pragmatic. But without the kind of guiding principles or clear goals of Wilson or Clemenceau, he did seem more indecisive. He seemed all over the map--oftentimes quite literally.I think there's really no more fascinating time than the outbreak of World War I and it's immediate aftermath. I can't think of a period of more stark, abrupt change. The end of the war marks the real end of the 19th century, whatever the dates. Visual and performing arts, literature, music made radical breaks--you can even see it in modes of dress. MacMillan illuminates an important part of what shaped that era.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I felt that this book handled the topic very fairly with a great deal of impudence. Macmillan flies in the face of her critics and those of mainstream thought on the matter. A splendid read and well researched.
    • 5/5
      '1919: Six Months That Changed the World' is a fascinating, informative book that covers the history following World War I, a complicated tangle of nationalism, imperialism, political bungling, and power jockeying that has for the most part escaped the attention of common outlets for history. While the diplomatic situations leading up to WWI are pretty well known, the outcome of the war is typically summed in two ideas, the vindictive Versailles Treaty and Wilson's Points, leading to the League of Nations. MacMillan's book details to fine degree why so much of Versailles went wrong, and why so much of what came out of the conference was a product of personalities rather than Wilson's idealism (though this, too, was a product of personality). There is a wealth of post WWI history that MacMillan put into proper reference. This was not just about nationalism, but the fact- for example- that the establishment of Poland was a rather bloody affair, leading to the conclusion that though the 'big' war had ended, a rash of smaller conflicts disseminated through smaller nations and lesser known regions. Sound familiar to today's world? It most certainly does, and as with most things historical, learning the history MacMillan presents here is a great way to understand some of the messes we have witnessed and continue to witness in today's world. This is an enriching, informative read, and MacMillan's prose flows smoothly throughout. As good as this book is, if one really wants a comprehensive reference for the period, start with John Keegan's excellent 'The First World War' and follow up with MacMillan's '1919'. Together, they form a definitive set for WWI history.
    • 5/5
      Narration/ storytelling is amazing making it very informative and interesting read.
    • 5/5
      A detailed look at the Paris Peace Conferance following the First Worl War. This is an excellent book which sets out how four men essentially redrew the maps of Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa and Asia, and laid the foundations for many of the tensions of the 20th Century. (The book is far better than my review.)
    • 4/5
      Very interesting and well written. However, Dad said the author seems to have swallowed the Anglo-American version of events without question.
    • 5/5
      Why is our world in such a mess today? Why do we have constant political problems in Israel-Palestine, in the Balkans, in Iraq and the Middle East, between the U.S. and France, and so on?Are these issues a result of events happening today or yesterday?All of these issues, and many others, are in one way or another tied to the resolution of World War I, which was, historians tell us, triggered by the assassination of an Austrian prince in Sarajevo. The Germans and the Austria-Hungarians then commenced a war that was largely fought in the trenched fields of France and Belgium. Millions died on all sides, including the Russian front.When the war was over, due to surrender by the Germans before the war crossed the Rhine, the Paris Peace Conference was convened to settle the political fallout. New countries were created, old borders re-drawn, entreaties granted or denied, and the personalities and relationship of Woodrow Wilson, Clemenceau, and Lloyd George created a new world order. The war to end all wars, of course, was a failure in many ways, not the least of which the breakout of another war with a generation.Many of the whys and wherefores of the Twentieth Century emanate from the Paris Peace Conference. We see the fallout everyday in the press.Paris: 1919 is a historical masterpiece. In many places it reads like a history book, complete with the author’s feelings about the nature of conversations that did or could have taken place. On the other hand, it is an easy read in terms of focusing on the history of places or events that are of interest to you. In my case, I have always been fascinated by Turkey, Israel-Palestine, the Crusades, the Byzantine Empire, Roman and Greek conquest and administration of the area, and so on. These subjects are addressed in the final 150 or so pages. I read each word, riveted by the role that one of my favorite historical characters (T.E. Lawrence, the ubiquitous Lawrence of Arabia) played in the peace process.I found Paris: 1919 to be amazingly thought-provoking. Would the world be a better place today if Woodrow Wilson had had a different personality, or if the U.S. had taken the Palestinian Mandate?Could Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, and Nicholas Sarkozy to a better job if we had a Paris: 2010 Peace Conference?If you wonder about the politics of today, spend a few hours in the politics of 1919-1920 and let your own thoughts soar.
    • 3/5
      My sister read this a while back, and considered it quite an accomplishment to get through this monster of a text.I must admit - I didn't read EVERY page, but skipped a few of 'em. Nevertheless, an interesting read in places and definitely an asset for anyone (like me) interested in early 20th century history.
    • 5/5
      Well written and researched. MacMillan is a good storyteller and keeps you interested. Geographically, she covers a lot of ground, from the Baltic to Palestine as did the so-called peacemakers. There's a lot of material here and it takes time to read and absorb. I agree with a previous reviewer that the portions about German response to the terms of the Treaty and the actual signing appear rushed and abrupt, but after close to 500 pages that is a small nit. The bibliography is a goldmine of reference material for further reading.
    • 5/5
      Fascinating account. Putting all the information needed into a coherent account is an impressive achievement. The author does a fine job of presenting the players with their good and bad traits. The number of hotspots that were left unresolved or exacerbated is a matter of record, but given the scope of what was being attempted and the state of the countries on the Allied side the overall job was probably not as bad as has been generally portrayed. I highly recommend this book. Match this up with The Proud Tower, Dreadnought and Castles of Steel.
    • 4/5
      This book is very detailed, but provides a facinating account of the Paris conference after WWI. So much of the good and bad of the 20th century was shaped at this conference. Very interesting.
    • 4/5
      This is a great book. It is an interesting look at the Paris Peace Conference, and the complications that made reaching Wilson's ideals all but impossible. Perhaps the most interesting aspects of the book are MacMillan's conclusions. She absolutely rejects the notion that the slide of Germany and Italy into totalitarianism are attributable to the agreements reached at Versailles. Rather she faults the leaders of the 30's and their unwillingness to intervene in the crises of those times.
    • 5/5
      Readable, informative, slightly revisionist. Loved it.
    • 5/5
      This is the best non-fiction I've read this year. It's a dense read, packed with geography, history, and politics, but with enough funny stories to stop it from getting too difficult. I loved it.Margaret MacMillan tells the story of the carve-up of the world after World War 1, starting with chapters on the 3 men who did most of the carving: Woodrow Wilson, Georges Clemenceau, and David Lloyd-George, her great-grandfather. From there she moves onto a detailed look at the different regions. There is tons of detail - if you're looking for a rough and ready overview of the world in 1920, this isn't your book. I found the Central Europe section rewarding but very slow going, because it was the least familiar to me. The maps are really good and kept me from getting lost.It's a very depressing book though. She is clear about how the Paris deal-making contributed to Hitler's rise, World War 2, and many current conflicts. (For NZ and Aussie readers, our dear leaders don't cover themselves in glory...)
    • 5/5
      A slow read, but a fantastic introduction to the history of the period. The lines they drew on maps have had far-reaching implications.
    • 4/5
      This book is about the Paris 1919 Peace Conference following the end of World War I. It is nicely organized and focuses on all aspects of the negotiations. The book is fairly long, due to the high amount of detail that was included. The research the author did was amazing and she included a great deal of information in her book. This is good and bad because I found the book to be tedious to read after awhile. About halfway through I got bored of the book.This is by no means light reading so I only recommend it to people who are genuinely interested in this topic. Otherwise you will probably be a little bored and find this book somewhat difficult to wade through.
    • 5/5
      Paris 1919 is a fine piece of scholarship. It goes far beyond recounting the events of the post WWI peace conference to explore the context of decisions and the personalities involved.She recounts the economic and political pressures on Wilson, Lloyd-George and Clemenceau, their characters, and the exaggerated expectations of the Allied victors.In general terms Wilson's fair and reasonable 14 points were used as cover for an epic land and power grab at the expense of the defeated Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires with a collection of the most outrageous nationalistic and historical claims being put forward.
    • 5/5
      While some of the author's narrative choices can be taken issue with (I agree that the portion dealing with the endgame with Germany does feel rushed), it's hard to imagine a better survey being made of the diplomatic effort to make the carnage and destruction of the "Great War" count for something, besides capturing the human spectacle of it all. As MacMillan makes clear, Wilson, Lloyd George, and Clemenceau could have easily made a worse treaty, and certainly had every intention of trying to leave the world a better place for their efforts. That the Treaty of Versailles became a shorthand description for the failures of the period between the two world wars is not a commentary on the work done in the 1919, it's a commentary on human denial about how low one can sink, or at least the limitations of power; the last point probably being MacMillan's most important theme.
    • 4/5
      A bit dry for my taste as it turned out, with endless detail on the outcome for each part of Europe following WWI, but very educational. I learned a lot about the origin of today's state of Israel, and why certain decisions that seem obviously wrong in retrospect and which led to WW2 actually made sense at the time. Chalk it up to the world's inexperience in 1919 with attempting to establish peace on this scale; I hope we've learned from it.
    • 4/5
      Having listened to the audio book for nearly two months on a short commute to work, I feel as if I nearly lived the entire peace conference of 1919. Then again, I'm also living in an era of ongoing negotiations for a health care bill meant to solve the problems of a country in a fair and diplomatic manner that has become mired down in nasty politics, backroom deals, sidebars having nearly nothing to do with the main issue at hand and threats upon threats if individuals do not get their way...all so something historic and good can finally happen.How does the saying go? The more things change, the more they stay the same?In nearly 24 hours of audio, MacMillan's book gets one point very clear: Politics has gotten no worse or better in the last one hundred years. No matter the issue or the cause, we're still the same, coming together as a group speaking of nothing but the greater good. When everyone gets down to business, however, it becomes clear that in the pursuit of the greater good everyone intends to shuttle just a little something to the side that will just happen to befit their pet causes. And if it means moving boundaries, dissolving a country or two, asking some people to adopt a new nationality or demanding a little something based on land occupied a thousand years ago - what of it? MacMillan humanizes the peace treaty process and gives credit where credit is due. It is a fascinating story, although it does become tedious in parts...where minor players with interesting personalities are afforded far too much time in the book, it makes the German response to the treaty seem almost rushed. Still, we could all do far worse than knowing the story of how men come together to carve up the world and their people in the name of peace and how those decisions changed the world forever.
    • 5/5
      A near-comprehensive, accessible examination of the Versailles peace talks and their participants.
    • 3/5
      Its taking me longer to read than it did for the actual events to unfold. I find myself quickly diverting off to find another read and come back to this for short periods, taking each chapter in like it's study material.