The end came with the surrender of France on 22 June. People everywhere saw Paris as the centre of Europe and the hub of culture, fashion and invention. decrease font size increase font size. 5 people found this helpful. The French had some equivalent formations that were of good quality, but they were dispersed rather than concentrated in the German fashion. What people are saying - Write a review But suddenly France, not least to the disbelief of her own citizens, was gripped in the vice of the Prussian armies and forced to surrender on humiliating terms. The collapse of France in 1870 had an overwhelming impact - on Paris, on France and on the rest of the world. This is a thorough and comprehensive history of the siege of Paris and the rise of the commune. Although as Churchill, who had become Prime Minster on 10 May rightly commented, 'wars are not won by evacuation', Dynamo was a victory of incalculable importance for the BEF. The Fall of Paris just happened on the cusp of recording and mass reporting what really goes on, in that sense it is also a useful read for students of the broader history of Europe and the West in the 20th and 21st centuries. A brilliant portrayal of a heady and fatalistic time in French and European history. Arguably, the wartime divisions within French society that were created by this arrangement are still not fully healed. On June 14, 1940, Parisians awaken to the sound of a German-accented voice announcing via loudspeakers that a curfew was being imposed for 8 … Oxfam Bookshop Byres Road Alistair Horne's The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune, 1870-71 is the first book of Alistair Horne's trilogy, which includes The Price of Glory and To Lose a Battle and tells the story of the great crises of the rivalry between France and Germany. Touch heavy in places but it is rather historical but with a sense of the characters through the book; it does not feel like a history text, rather a well informed review. Or that the Prussians were actually greatly outnumbered by the besieged French in Paris (although the military quality of the French 'national guard' units was subzero, most of them being drunk most of the time & disorderly all the time). The Fall of Paris just happened on the cusp of recording and mass reporting what really goes on, in that sense it is also a useful read for students of the broader history of Europe and the West in the 20th and 21st centuries. The Downfall Of Paris has been added to 2 tune sets. And surprisingly it really throws the atrocities of the 20th century into relief. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. As said, a fantastic book. In this brilliant study of the Siege of Paris and its aftermath, Alistair Horne researches first-hand accounts left by official observers, private diarists and letter-writers to evoke the high drama of those ten tumultuous months and the spiritual and physical agony that Paris and the Parisians suffered as they lost the Franco-Prussian war. Germany invades Paris. We did not become ghastly in 1914, we could just record it better. Almost immediately Paris was convulsed by the savage self-destruction of the newly formed Socialist government, the Commune. Strangely, given how recent the events are, I knew almost nothing about what happened during the siege and the commune in Paris. People everywhere saw Paris as the centre of Europe and the hub of culture, fashion and invention. This book is not in the same league, which is a shame. The return of the troops, even without much of their equipment, gave Britain a basis on which to rebuild the Army, sheltering behind the Navy and the RAF. The collapse of France in 1870 had an overwhelming impact - on Paris, on France and on the rest of the world. Pillar of Fire: Dunkirk 1940 by Ronald Atkin (Birlinn, 2000), The Battle for France and Flanders 1940 Sixty Years On edited by Brian Bond and Michael Taylor (Pen & Sword, 2001), To Lose a Battle: France 1940 by Alistair Horne (Penguin, 1979 and many reprints), The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940 by Julian Jackson (Oxford University Press, 2004). It consisted of a sophisticated series of fortifications, which were confidently expected to protect France's frontier with Germany, although crucially the line did not cover the Franco-Belgian frontier. Whether you're looking for iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Primark or H&M, we carry Gift Cards from multiple brands to suit every occasion. Then, in January 1940, a German plane crashed in neutral Belgium, with a copy of the attack orders on board. It ripped up the balance of power in Europe, and overnight left the strategic assumptions on which Britain had planned to fight Hitler completely obsolete. Lacking a centrally placed strategic reserve, the Allies tried to pull their armies out of Belgium to respond to the new threat emerging in their rear. One of Britain's greatest historians, Sir Alistair Horne, CBE, is the author of a trilogy on the rivalry between France and Germany, The Price of Glory, The Fall of Paris and To Lose a Battle, as well as a two-volume life of Harold Macmillan. It did fulfil an important function in castng light on an otherwise empty area of my historical education, but it failed to lift me in any way, like Price of Glory. Conditions apply. This one filled a gap in my knowledge and is a very valuable addition to my library. The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-71, Choose from over 13,000 locations across the UK, Prime members get unlimited deliveries at no additional cost, Dispatch to this address when you check out. They began to race towards the Channel coast, aided by the German aircraft that ruled the skies. With France out of the equation, Britain's war for the next four years was fought in the air, at sea, and in the Mediterranean - but not on the Western Front. His interest in the story really comes through, that story is heavy, complex, mirky, chaotic, and somewhat sad in real life so it is perhaps an achievement it is so readable. Opening with the military preparations before Paris was besieged by the invading German army in September 1870, Alistair Horne's compelling account of this dramatic episode takes the reader through the fall of Paris and German victory to the last days of the Paris Commune in May Week 1871. Despite the fact that the French in many areas fought well, the Germans destroyed the Allied forces in the field in short order. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. Read more. This was a hilly and heavily forested area on the German-Belgian-French border, where the Allies would be unlikely to expect an attack. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Finish What You Start: The Art of Following Through, Taking Action, Executing, & Se... "This classic work . Resistance groups formed, but risked bringing savage reprisals on the civilian population if they attacked the occupying forces. The Germans invaded Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands on 10 May, Italyentered the war on 10 June 1940 an… By Dr Gary Sheffield Alistair Horne's The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune, 1870-71 is the first book of Alistair Horne's trilogy, which includes The Price of Glory and To Lose a Battle and tells the story of the great crises of the rivalry between France and Germany. However, the tanks were concentrated into Panzer (armoured) formations. Find out more about how the BBC is covering the. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-71. In early September 1939, France began the limited Saar Offensive. I am a bit of an amateur expert on modernish warfare and have hundreds of books on the subject. Despite the fall of Paris, the social, economic, and cultural workings which define the modern epoch are active everywhere. 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