The World Remade, G. J. Meyer
The World Remade, G. J. Meyer
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The World Remade
America in World War I

Author: G. J. Meyer

Narrator: Rob Shapiro

Unabridged: 24 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/07/2017


Synopsis

A piercing, indispensable account of America’s pivotal involvement in World War I, rich with fresh insights into the tumultuous politics and towering historical figures that defined the era—from the New York Times bestselling author of The World Unmade

“[The World Remade] succeeds brilliantly . . . Meyer tells the story with brio. Characters come alive and the past seems near.”—Publishers Weekly

After years of bitter debate, the United States declared war on Imperial Germany on April 6, 1917, plunging the country into the vicious European conflict that would redraw the globe. When it declared war, the United States was the youngest of the major powers and militarily the weakest by far. On November 11, 1918, when the fighting stopped, it was not only the richest country on earth but the mightiest.

With the mercurial, autocratic President Woodrow Wilson as a primary focus, G. J. Meyer takes readers from the heated deliberations over U.S. involvement, through the provocations and manipulations that drew us into the fight, to the battlefield itself and the shattering aftermath of the struggle. Though America’s entry into the Great War was instrumental to the defeat of Germany, victory led to a peace treaty so ill-conceived, so vindictive, that the world was put on the road to an even bloodier confrontation.

On the home front, Meyer recounts the break-up of traditional class structures, the rise of the progressive and labor movements, the wave of anti-German hysteria, and the explosive expansion of both the economy and federal power, including shocking suspensions of constitutional protections that planted the seeds of today’s national security state.

Stunning in scope, The World Remade interweaves the many strands of this story into a gripping narrative that casts new light on one of the darkest, most forgotten corners of U.S. history and adds a compelling, uniquely American dimension to our understanding of the seminal conflict of the twentieth century.

About The Author

G. J. Meyer is the author of three popular histories: A World Undone: The Story of the Great War; The Tudors: The Complete Story of England’s Most Notorious Dynasty; and The Borgias: The Hidden History. Meyer received a Nieman Fellowship in Journalism from Harvard University. He earned an M.A. from the University of Minnesota, where he was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, and has taught writing and literature at colleges in Des Moines, St. Louis, and New York. He now lives in Wiltshire, England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jay on February 10, 2023

I may be copping out on a proper review here, but to put it simply, there is a lot going on in this book. I prefer doing short reviews. This book, a follow-up to the author's excellent first book about WWI, "A World Undone", is all you want as far as information about what was going on in the U.S. a......more

Goodreads review by CoachJim on August 27, 2021

The First World War, boys It came and it went The reason for fighting I never did get But I learned to accept it Accept it with pride For you don't count the dead When God's on your side From With God On Our Side by Bob Dylan It is so easy to speak of a million deaths, so hard to get one’s mind around the r......more

Goodreads review by Bill on March 27, 2017

Though The World Remade: America in World War I is big disappointment, in fairness to the author G. J. Meyer one should concede that he probably wrote the book he intended, but unfortunately not the book that I hoped for. I wanted to find out why and how the United States found she had to enter the......more

Goodreads review by Alan on August 23, 2020

Truly excellent. Indispensable reading for those who wish to know and understand the America of the early twentieth century, and a superbly researched and documented companion book to Meyer's "A World Undone: the Story of the Great War 1914-1918." A riveting, informative, and edifying read. I highly......more

Goodreads review by A.L. on September 02, 2019

The Great War changed the world in so many ways, but since the US wasn’t involved for most of it (and didn’t change as much as, say, Germany or Russia), it’s easy to overlook just how much the war impacted America. The war brought a deep divisiveness. (Divisions weren’t absent before the war, but th......more


Quotes

“A massive and ambitious effort that strives to cover and explain a very broad range of aspects, including our entry and participation in the [World War I], the failure of the ‘peace,’ and the changes the war brought to our political and social fabric. [G. J.] Meyer offers wonderful insights into many of the key players in this arresting saga. . . . This is a provocative and sometimes harshly judgmental history, but one that should be read to understand our emergence as a global power.”Booklist (starred review)

“[Meyer] debunks many myths about America’s valiant intentions in joining the war, especially regarding President Woodrow Wilson’s sense of destiny on the world stage, and he closely examines why Wilson acquiesced to joining the fight. . . . Meyer gives a good sense of America’s future at that negotiating table and Wilson’s celebrated role at Versailles as the leader of the free world. . . . A refreshing look at this still-much-debated world debacle.”Kirkus Reviews

“Here, with great skill and fidelity to fact, Meyer . . . relate[s] the complex tale of a nation venturing back into world affairs after a century of comparative isolation. . . . Meyer tells the story with brio. Characters come alive and the past seems near. . . . Meyer succeeds brilliantly with his basic narrative approach, and any reader who wants to learn about American participation in the war will benefit from this book.”Publishers Weekly

“G. J. Meyer has written a keen observation about a historic and troubling period. This opus spans the war years, reflecting the [United States’] emergence as a global power while the other countries fought a war of attrition. Wilson is painted first as a complicated man who could be a sharp politician, then as a sick, indecisive man looking for validation. This book is well written, sharp, and has bearing on our present and future involvement in wars. A+”Seattle Book Review

“Superbly well-written and deftly organized . . . [a valuable addition] to the literature of America and the First World War . . . that will challenge readers to think or rethink their ideas about the subject and its significance for understanding our present predicaments.”The Common Reader

This lengthy revisionist history will fit well with American history and governmental studies departments in both public and academic libraries.”—Library Journal