Victory Must Be Ours

A history of Germany in World War I as told by the soldiers who fought the battles and the civilians grappling with a decline in quality of life.

Europe went to war in 1914 to the sound of brass bands and cheering crowds; in every country, civilians and soldiers alike believed that the war would be won by Christmas time. By the time Christmas arrived, however, it became clear that this, indeed, would be a much longer war. In the months and years which followed, combatants perused the war with boundless intensity to emerge victorious. This was partially true of Germany where publicists pictured it as a life-and-death struggle for the survival of a nation surrounded by hostile enemies. No nation involved in the conflict so completely mobilised its population, its resources, its energies into such a single-minded pursuit of the war.

This unusual and incisive account chronicles Germany in World War 1 from the viewpoint of the soldiers who fought the battles and civilians who endured the ever-increasing trauma of escalating casualties, widespread shortages, and declining conditions of living. It relates how Germany attempted to cope with a massive blockade, the scope of which had not been seen since the days of Napoleon, thus forcing German authorities to adopt a series of sometimes brutal measures, all of which rested on the underlying premise that victory, a clear-cut victory, could be the only acceptable option.

Victory Must Be Ours explores the Germany which in 1914 took a prestigious leap into darkness. It explores the ingredients which make the Great War perhaps the single most fateful event in the Twentieth Century, setting in motion the bloodiest conflict of all time, World War II.

Praise for Victory Must Be Ours

“A stark, well-documented study of the hardships suffered by German civilians during WWI.” —Publishers Weekly

“Moyer makes sophisticated use of published and archival sources in the best English–language survey to date German participation in World War I. . . . He presents a vivid picture of a society strained beyond its limits by the unexpected demands of total war. . . . Civilians saw the quality of their lives decline precipitously in every area—a process that Moyer, a researcher and former history professor, describes particularly well.” —Library Journal

“Moyer draws a convincing connection between that bitterness and the appeal of extremist movements during the Weimar period. A specialist in German history, he has full command of the facts and relates his account with analytical skill and compassion.” —Booklist