PhD Mr. Philip Souers 
Chaos and Identity 

In 1914, by complete accident, the rulers of Western Eurasia started a suicidal war, with a eastern battle line running from Finland four thousand miles to Iran. The book recapitulates the Great War from 1911 to 1923, but it is really about what the War did. Based on nationalism that nobody knew existed, people bid for recognition and independence and most of them failed; their countries were proclaimed dead but many have come back to life in our time. The underdogs, who refused to lose their identity, are back seeking their place in the sun. This history book covers all the countries in the contested zone, what happened to them and why we should care a hundred years later. The author is a Cold War weapons scientist with his particular bias toward Russia. The narrative is pepped up with color pictures of flags, postage stamps carrying the propaganda of the time, old-time photos, maps, newspaper articles and accounts by great 1920’s travelers.