Germany Before the War: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Germany Before the War, credited to Napoleon-Eugène Beyens, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of Germany Before the War by Napoleon-Eugène Beyens. (Translated by Paul V. Cohn.) Read in English by Ted Lienhart. Baron Beyens was a senior member of the Belgian diplomatic service who was posted to Berlin in 1912. His book, published in early 1916, is in part the result of his personal observations in Germany from 1912 until late 1914, when he departed the country after the German invasion of neutral Belgium at the beginning of the First World War. He had contacts with the political elite in Germany - including the Emperor - and knew their views on the key issues that contributed to international tension. In this volume Beyens profiled the men, their motives, and their reactions to events. In addition, Beyens discusses the economic causes of the war, and explains some of the most pressing issues faced by European diplomats and governments in the years immediately preceding the war. The causes of World War I were so complex that they are still, over a century later, vigorously debated. This thoughtful book helps to throw light on the fateful decisions that brought on a disastrous war. - Summary by Ted Lienhart

Recording facts

• Recording title: Germany Before the War
• Author credits: Napoleon-Eugène Beyens
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 20
• Listed recording duration: 9:00:46

Catalogue topics

• World War 1
• WW1
• World War One
• Great War
• World War
• 1914-1918 -- causes
• germany -- foreign relations -- 1871-1918
• germany -- politics and government -- 1871-1914

Track guide

1. 00 - Introduction — 9:23
2. 01 - I. The Emperor William Part 1 — 30:57
3. 02 - I. The Emperor William Part 2 — 32:15
4. 03 - II. The Imperial Family etc. Part 1 — 38:02
5. 04 - II. The Imperial Family etc. Part 2 — 38:50
6. 05 - III. The Army and Navy etc. Part 1 — 20:35
7. 06 - III. The Army and Navy etc. Part 2 — 29:02
8. 07 - IV. The Reichstag and Political Parties Part 1 — 29:25
9. 08 - IV. The Reichstag and Political Parties Part 2 — 29:04
10. 09 - V. Public Opinion - Economic Causes … Part 1 — 28:44
11. 10 - V. Public Opinion - Economic Causes … Part 2 — 28:19
12. 11 - VI. The Moroccan Question — 37:43
13. 12 - VII. The Eastern Question Part 1 — 24:09
14. 13 - VII. The Eastern Question Part 2 — 20:59
15. 14 - VIII. The Week of Tragedy Part 1 — 32:40
16. 15 - VIII. The Week of Tragedy Part 2 — 30:14
17. 16 - IX. Belgian Neutrality etc. Part 1 — 33:55
18. 17 - IX. Belgian Neutrality etc. Part 2 — 29:23
19. 18 - Conclusion — 14:18
20. 19 - Appendix — 2:50

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