The Proud Tower offers a vivid portrait of the world in the years leading up to World War I, a time marked by rapid and unprecedented change.

During this fateful quarter century, a privileged few basked in Olympian luxury, while the underclass was heaving in its pain, power, and hate.

Barbara W. Tuchman brings the era to life, depicting the decline of the Edwardian aristocracy, the rise of Anarchists in Europe and America, and Germany's self-depicted hero, Richard Strauss.

The narrative explores Diaghilev’s Russian ballet, Stravinsky’s music, and the infamous Dreyfus Affair. It delves into the Peace Conferences in The Hague and the enthusiasm and tragedy of Socialism, epitomized by the assassination of Jean Jaurès on the eve of the Great War.

This work is part of Barbara W. Tuchman's Great War Series, alongside The Guns of August and The Zimmermann Telegram.