{"product_id":"ring-of-steel-9780465056873","title":"Ring of Steel","description":"\u003cb\u003eA prize-winning, magisterial history of World War I from the perspective of the defeated Central Powers\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For the Central Powers, the First World War started with high hopes for an easy victory. But those hopes soon deteriorated as Germany's attack on France failed, Austria-Hungary's armies suffered catastrophic losses, and Britain's ruthless blockade brought both nations to the brink of starvation. The Central powers were trapped in the Allies' ever-tightening Ring of Steel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In this compelling history, Alexander Watson retells the war from the perspective of its losers: not just the leaders in Berlin and Vienna, but the people of Central Europe. The war shattered their societies, destroyed their states, and imparted a poisonous legacy of bitterness and violence. A major reevaluation of the First World War, \u003ci\u003eRing of Steel\u003c\/i\u003e is essential for anyone seeking to understand the last century of European history.\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Basic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67887389442226,"sku":"9780465056873","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0536\/7418\/0786\/files\/9780465056873.jpg?v=1793779508","url":"https:\/\/shop.hachettebookgroup.com\/products\/ring-of-steel-9780465056873","provider":"Hachette Book Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}