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review May 2026

The long end to Habsburg Central Europe’s long nineteenth century

Review by Nancy M. Wingfield
Black-and-white group portrait of sailors aboard the battleship SMS Viribus Unitis. Around fifteen crewmen in dark naval uniforms and caps pose closely together on deck, with ropes and ship rigging behind them. In the center, a seated sailor holds a small light-colored cat. A large life ring at the front is marked “S.M.S. VIRIBUS UNITIS,” with two sailors reclining on either side. The image has a formal yet relaxed feel, with several sailors looking directly at the camera.
In The Great War and the Transformation of Habsburg Central Europe (OUP, 2025), Pieter M. Judson and Tara Zahra analyse the war not as the end of the Monarchy, but rather as a series of socio-political changes that helped lay the groundwork for a new postwar world. Nancy M. Wingfield writes that this is an exceptional book that is well worth reading.
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