Other editions of book The War in Eastern Europe

John Reed (1887 – 1920) was an American journalist, poet, and socialist activist, best remembered for his first-hand account of the Bolshevik Revolution, "Ten Days That Shook the World." After World War I began Reed went to Central Europe as a war corresponddent in 1915, a journey on which he was accompanied by Canadian artist and frequent Masses contributor Boardman Robinson. Traveling from Thessaloniki, they met scenes of profound devastation in Serbia and they were arrested, incarcerated for several weeks and liable to be shot for espionage. These wartime experiences led to Reed's book, "The War in Eastern Europe", published in 1916.With splendid descriptive power, enthusiasm, and sympathetic understanding he takes us back of the scenes and shows us the poignant tragedy of the war in the Balkans, in Russian Poland.Like so many other promising young American writers. John Reed hastened to Europe at the outbreak of the war. Circumstances altered his plans, for he just grazed the 'front.' Fortunately he made the most of his disappointment. By studying the normal life of the Eastern natives under the strain of long-drawnout warfare, after they had settled down to 'war as a business,' he was able to write a book which is a unique contribution to present-day war history.Mr Reed takes the reader thru poor typhus-ridden Serbia, into floundering Russia, then back to Rumania and Bulgaria. With fine sympathy and understanding he pictures the abjectness as well as the splendid qualities of patriotism and hospitality of the Serbian peasant. He scalds Russia with burning indignation for her blundering inefficiency and almost unbelievable brutality to the Jews and towards alien races.Thruout the book one notices a tendency towards the dramatic, which Mr Reed accomplishes with the finesse of an artist. The War in Eastern Europe is decidedly worth reading. In literary quality, for one thing, it is much above the flood of 'war literature' that had deluged the reading public of his time.Reed writes: "As I look back on it all, it seems to me that the most important thing to know about the war is how the different peoples live; their environment, tradition, and the revealing things they do and say. In time of peace, many human qualities are covered up which come to the surface in a sharp crisis; but on the other hand, much of personal and racial quality is submerged in time of great public stress. And in this book Robinson and I have simply tried to give our impressions of human beings as we found them in the countries of Eastern Europe, from April to October, 1915."ContentsI. THE COUNTRY OF DEATHII. THE WAR CAPITALIII. TOWARD THE FRONTIV. BELGRADE UNDER THE AUSTRIAN GUNSV. ALONG THE BATTLE-LINEVI. A NATION EXTERMINATEDVII. RUSSIA'S BACK DOORVIII. BREAKING INTO BUCOVINAIX. ZALEZCHIK THE TERRIBLEX. BEHIND THE RUSSIAN RETREATXI. LEMBERG BEFORE THE GERMANS CAMEXII. AN OPTIMISTIC PILGRIMAGEXIII. THE FACE OF RUSSIAXIV. PETROGRAD AND MOSCOWXV. TOWARD THE CITY OF EMPERORSXVI. CONSTANTINOPLE UNDER THE GERMANSXVII. THE HEART OF STAMBOULXVIII. RUMANIA IN DIFFICULTIESXIX. BULGERIA GOES TO WARXX. SERBIA REVISITED

Thb Eastern phases of the war are by far the most confusing and uncertain, a book explaining the political or military situations in Russia, the Balkans, and Turkey, however sound at the time of acceptance for publication, would probably be utterly misleading when it came from the press. But while physical circum- stances change, human nature never does; and it was chiefly with humanity that John Reed and Boardman Robinson were concerned when they travelled through these countries for the Metropolitan Magazine: just as the novelist or the biographer presents the personality of a character so do they present the personality of a nation. As I look back on it all, says Mr. Reed, it seems to me that the most important thing to know about the war is how the different peoples live; their environment, tradition, and the revealing things they do and say. In time of peace, many human qualities are covered up which come to the surface in a sharp crisis; but on the other hand, much of personal and racial quality is submerged in time of great public stress. And in this book Robinson and I have simply tried to give our impressions of human beings as we found them in the countries of Eastern Europe, from A pril to October, 1915.(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text. Read books online for free at

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1916 edition. Excerpt: ... BULGARIA GOES TO WAR BUT the key to the Balkans is Bulgaria, not Rumania. Leaving Bucarest on a dirty little train, you crawl slowly south over the hot plain, passing wretched little villages made of mud and straw, like the habitations of an inferior tribe in Central Africa. Gentle, submissive-looking peasants in white linen, stand gaping stupidly at the engine. You stop at every tiny station, as if the Rumanian Government were contemptuously indifferent of any one going to Bulgaria, and at Giurgiu there is an unnecessarily rigid examination by petty despotic customs officials, who make it as disagreeable as possible to leave the country. But across the yellow Danube is another world. While the steamer is yet a hundred yards from the landing-stage somebody hails you with a grin--a big brown policeman who has been in America, and whom you saw once as you passed that way two months ago. Good-natured, clumsy soldiers make a pretense of examining your baggage, and smile you a welcome. As you stand there a well-dressed stranger says in French: "You are a foreigner, aren't you? Can I do anything for you?" He is not a guide; he is just a passenger like yourself, but a Bulgarian and therefore friendly. It is wonderful to see again the simple, flat, frank faces of mountaineers and free men, and to fill your ears with the crackling virility of Slavic speech. Bulgaria is the only country I know where you can speak to any one on the street and get a cordial answer --where if a shopkeeper gives you the wrong change he will follow you to your hotel to return a two-cent piece. Never was sensation more poignant than our relief at being again in a real man's country. The train labors up through Rustchuk--half Turkish with its minarets, spreading tile...

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.