The Last Days of Innocence: America at War, 1917-1918

An example of outstanding historiography! Though not quite the American corollary of Paul Fussell's 'The Great War and Modern Memory,' it proves a great companion to histories of the war written by Martin Gilbert and John Keegan. I found the Harries' work comprehensive and thoroughly documented with often forgotten or neglected sources. They give just the right amount of coverage of the often tediously dry economic, industrial, social, and commercial aspects of the war, and thus do not lose the reader's interest. Many will discover for the first time how oppressive the American political, cultural, and intellectual atmospheres became under the wartime government's efforts to rally and control opinion under a guise of patriotism. Finally, the Harries' descriptions of combat are highly detailed, covering both what went wrong during American military actions, as well as what went right. We read, for example, just how Belleau Wood turned out to be one of American military history's most Pyrrhic victories. In all, a truly Odyssean read.

This book had a plethora of good information, but it read quickly and does not bog you down with too much detail. Excellent read.

Often overshadowed by the Second World War, the USA's involvement in the Great War is merely considered as setting the stage for that later conflict. However, American involvement in WWI helped turned the tide in favor of the Allies, and also changed America forever. This excellent book manages to detail America's involvement in WWI from both the point of view of specific battles, and from the perspective of the home front. The main strength of "The Last Days of Innocence" resides in how successful the authors are in explaining how WWI changed the USA's government and it's cultural outlook. Such an effort as training, equipping and sending millions of trained soldiers overseas required a massive mobilization which in turn needed complete cooperation from all stratum of society. Those who didn't cooperate were labeled subversive and investigated. Minorities were given the worst assignments. President Woodrow Wilson thought private organizations could be depended upon to police themselves. The country's longheld philosophy of limited government involvement in the daily lives of its citizens disappeared forever and painfully as a price of going to war. The authors depict accurately how confused and tumultuous all of this was for the average American and how these effects are still being felt today. WWI was truly a turning point for the United States and this book captures its impact and signficance. Highly recommended.

If you wanted one book that would provide you with a detailed account of America's role in the Great War this is it. The author's cover every aspect of America's involvement in WW1. This book covers everything from the gradual decline in civil liberties, the increase in Govt. agencies power over the individual, the war industry the training and arming of her armed forces to their final deployment on the European battlefield. Although America didn't get into the fighting until the last few months of the war she paid for the privilage with many young American lives. This is a well researched and a well told story and every American should read the book to fully appreciate what their countymen did in 1917-1918.