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{{BLP primary sources|date=February 2011}}
{{BLP primary sources|date=February 2011}}
'''Geoffrey Wawro''' (born 1960) is a Professor of Military History at the [[University of North Texas]], and Director of the UNT Military History Center. His primary area of emphasis is modern and contemporary military history, from the French Revolution to the present. His fourth book appeared in April 2010 from Penguin Press; it is titled: ''Quicksand: America's Pursuit of Power in the Middle East.''
'''Geoffrey Wawro''' (born 1960) is an American Professor of Military History at the [[University of North Texas]], and Director of the UNT Military History Center. His primary area of emphasis is modern and contemporary military history, from the French Revolution to the present.


==Education and career==
==Education==
Wawro grew up in [[West Hartford, Connecticut]] and as a young boy delivered newspapers for&nbsp;the ''[[Hartford Courant]]''. Wawro received his diploma from the [[Loomis Chaffee|Loomis-Chaffee School]] in [[Windsor, Connecticut]] in 1978, and his [[A-levels]] in [[English Literature]] and German from [[Cheltenham College]], in [[England]], the following year. After receiving his Bachelor's degree ''magna cum laude'' from [[Brown University]] (1983), he attended [[Yale University]], where he received his Master of Arts in European History (1987), his M. Phil. in European History in 1989, and his Ph.D. in 1992. His dissertation, entitled, "The Austro-Prussian War: Politics, Strategy and War in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1859-1866" (1992), supervised by [[Paul Kennedy]], argued that the battle of [[Königgrätz]] (1866) was not so much won by the brilliance of the Prussian commander [[Helmuth von Moltke the Elder]] as it was lost by the incompetence of the Austrian commander [[Ludwig von Benedek]].<ref name="curriculum vitae">Wawro, [http://www.hist.unt.edu/CV/Dr_Wawro_cv_new.pdf curriculum vitae] Accessed 14.06.2009.</ref>
Wawro grew up in [[West Hartford, Connecticut]] and as a boy delivered newspapers for the ''[[Hartford Courant]]''. He received his diploma from the [[Loomis Chaffee|Loomis-Chaffee School]] in [[Windsor, Connecticut]] in 1978, and his [[A-levels]] in [[English Literature]] and German from [[Cheltenham College]], in [[England]], the following year. After receiving his bachelor's degree ''magna cum laude'' from [[Brown University]] (1983), he attended [[Yale University]], where he received his Master of Arts in European history (1987), his M. Phil. in European History in 1989, and his Ph.D. in 1992. His dissertation, entitled "The Austro-Prussian War: Politics, Strategy and War in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1859-1866" (1992), supervised by [[Paul Kennedy]], argued that the [[battle of Königgrätz]] (1866) was not so much won by the brilliance of the Prussian commander [[Helmuth von Moltke the Elder]] as it was lost by the incompetence of the Austrian commander [[Ludwig von Benedek]].<ref name="curriculum vitae">Wawro, [http://www.hist.unt.edu/CV/Dr_Wawro_cv_new.pdf curriculum vitae] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202053052/http://www.hist.unt.edu/CV/Dr_Wawro_cv_new.pdf |date=2010-02-02 }} Accessed 14.06.2009.</ref>


==Career==
Wawro hosted the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]]'s book show: ''Hardcover History'', and was host and anchor of the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]] programs [[History's Business]] and [[History vs. Hollywood]], as well as ''Hard Target,' ''Global View, and ''History in Focus.'' His guests have included [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Henry Kissinger]], [[Jack Welch]], [[Robert Rubin]], [[Caspar Weinberger]], [[Warren Christopher]], [[Niall Ferguson]], [[Richard Overy]], [[Stephen Ambrose]], [[Michael Howard]], [[Robert Dallek]], [[Paul Theroux]] and [[Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.]]. Wawro, an expert on military innovation and international security in Europe, the U.S., and Canada, was also (before his move to [[Texas]]) Professor of Strategic Studies at the U.S. [[Naval War College]] as well as the ''Naval War College Review's'' "special correspondent," a designation that took him to "places or events of strategic or technological interest," including Iran, Brazil and the [[Paris Air Show]].<ref>University of North Texas, Press Release, [http://www.hist.unt.edu/faculty/wawro/wawro.htm ] Accessed 14.06.2009.</ref> In his last book, A Mad Catastrophe: The Outbreak of World War I and the Collapse of the Habsburg Empire, Basic Books, 2014. Wawro wandered into a field that is clearly not his expertise, the nationalities question of the Habsburg Empire. It is too bad because the book is well written and entertaining. {{citation needed|reason=This is a subjective statement that requires a published source |date=June 2015}}
Wawro hosted the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]]'s book show ''Hardcover History'', and was host and anchor of the History Channel programs ''History's Business'' and ''[[History vs. Hollywood]]'', ''Hard Target'', ''Global View'', and ''History in Focus.'' His guests have included [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Henry Kissinger]], [[Jack Welch]], [[Robert Rubin]], [[Caspar Weinberger]], [[Warren Christopher]], [[Niall Ferguson]], [[Richard Overy]], [[Stephen Ambrose]], [[Michael Howard]], [[Robert Dallek]], [[Paul Theroux]] and [[Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.]]


Wawro, an expert on military innovation and international security in Europe, the U.S., and Canada, was also (before his move to [[Texas]]) Professor of Strategic Studies at the U.S. [[Naval War College]] as well as the ''Naval War College Review''{{'}}s "special correspondent," a designation that took him to "places or events of strategic or technological interest," including Iran, Brazil and the [[Paris Air Show]].<ref>University of North Texas, Press Release, [http://www.hist.unt.edu/faculty/wawro/wawro.htm ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003154431/http://www.hist.unt.edu/faculty/wawro/wawro.htm |date=2011-10-03 }} Accessed 14.06.2009.</ref>
⚫
Wawro won the Austrian Cultural Institute Prize and the Society for Military History Moncado Prize for Excellence in the Writing of Military History. From 1989 to 1991, he was [[Fulbright Scholar]], University of Vienna, Austria, and from 1991–92, an Andrew W. Mellon Doctoral Fellow, Yale University.<ref name="curriculum vitae"/>

⚫
Wawro won the Austrian Cultural Institute Prize and the Society for Military History Moncado Prize for Excellence in the Writing of Military History. From 1989 to 1991, he was [[Fulbright Scholar]] at University of Vienna, Austria, and from 1991 to 1992, an Andrew W. Mellon Doctoral Fellow at Yale University.<ref name="curriculum vitae"/>

==Criticism==
In a review of Wawro's 1996 book on the [[Austro-Prussian War]], Lawrence Sondhaus criticizes Wawro for falsely claiming that the [[Austrian Empire]] intended to destroy the [[Kingdom of Italy]] in the [[Third Italian War of Independence]] of 1866. Wawro gives no evidence for his thesis of Austrian aggression and then proceeds to lambaste the Austrians for not achieving "goals they never intended to pursue". Wawro also ignores Italy's "sweeping war aims"; her intentions of seizing [[Trieste]], [[Istria]], and [[Dalmatia]], aims that were prevented by the Austrian victory at the [[Battle of Lissa (1866)|Battle of Lissa]], and claims the Italians only wanted to acquire [[Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia|Venetia]].{{sfn|Sondhaus|1998|p=537}}


==Publications==
==Publications==
In addition to many peer reviewed articles and edited volumes, Wawro has written five well-received books.
⚫
* ''A Mad Catastrophe: The Outbreak of World War I and the Collapse of the Habsburg Empire'', Basic Books, 2014.
⚫
*''Quicksand: America's Pursuit of Power in the Middle East'', Penguin Press in 2010.
⚫
*''Franco-Prussian War (Cambridge, 2003)'' was the main selection of the History Book Club and Military Book Club and received a best non-fiction mention from Publisher's Weekly, Nov. 2003.
*''Austro-Prussian War ''(Cambridge, 1996), based on his doctoral dissertation, was History Book Club and Military Book Club main selection.
*''Austro-Prussian War ''(Cambridge, 1996), based on his doctoral dissertation, was History Book Club and Military Book Club main selection.
*''Warfare and Society in Europe, 1792-1914'' (Routledge, 2000) is a standard university text.
*''Warfare and Society in Europe, 1792-1914'' (Routledge, 2000) is a standard university text.
⚫
*''Franco-Prussian War'' (Cambridge, 2003) was the main selection of the History Book Club and Military Book Club and received a best non-fiction mention from ''Publishers Weekly'', Nov. 2003.
⚫
In addition, he has also served on the editorial teams for over twenty volumes, including ''The Cambridge Military Histories,'' which he co-edits with Oxford's Hew Strachan.<ref name="curriculum vitae"/>
⚫
*''Quicksand: America's Pursuit of Power in the Middle East'', Penguin Press, 2010.
⚫
* ''A Mad Catastrophe: The Outbreak of World War I and the Collapse of the Habsburg Empire'', Basic Books, 2014.
* ''Sons of Freedom: The Forgotten American Soldiers Who Defeated Germany in World War I'', fall 2018


⚫
He has also served on the editorial teams for over twenty volumes, including ''The Cambridge Military Histories,'' which he co-edits with Oxford's Hew Strachan.<ref name="curriculum vitae"/>
==Selected television appearances==
*WWII from Space. History Channel, December 2014.
*History in Focus: 300, Host and anchor. History Channel, New York and Los Angeles, March 2007.
*History in Focus: Bobby, Host and anchor. History Channel, New York and Los Angeles, December 2006.
*History in Focus: Flags of our fathers, Host and anchor. History Channel, New York and Fort Meade, October 2006.
*History vs. Hollywood: the Great Raid, Host and Anchor, History Channel,New York and Philippines, July 2005.
*History vs. Hollywood: Alexander, Host, anchor. History Channel, New York, December 2004.
*History vs. Hollywood: National Treasure, Host and, anchor. History Channel, New York, November 2004.
*The Last Days of the Nazis: The Executioners. History Channel, New York


==Notes==
==Citations==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite journal|last=Sondhaus|first=Lawrence|title=The Austro-Prussian War: Austria's War with Prussia and Italy in 1866 by Geoffrey Wawro|journal=The American Historical Review|date=April 1998|volume=103|issue=2|doi=10.2307/2649843|jstor=2649843|pages=536–537}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{official|https://geoffreywawro.com/about-geoff}}
*[https://history.unt.edu/people/geoffrey-d-w-wawro University of North Texas] – Geoffrey D. W. Wawro
*http://www.history.com/podcasts/hardcoverhistory/hardcoverhistory_xml.xml
*http://www.history.com/podcasts/hardcoverhistory/hardcoverhistory_xml.xml
*http://www.hist.unt.edu/faculty/wawro/wawro.htm
*https://web.archive.org/web/20111003154431/http://www.hist.unt.edu/faculty/wawro/wawro.htm
*{{IMDB name|1821457}}
*http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1821457/

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Wawro, Geoffrey
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American historian
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1960
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wawro, Geoffrey}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wawro, Geoffrey}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:University of North Texas faculty]]
[[Category:University of North Texas faculty]]
[[Category:Brown University alumni]]
[[Category:Brown University alumni]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]
[[Category:Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:Oakland University faculty]]
[[Category:Oakland University faculty]]
[[Category:Naval War College faculty]]
[[Category:Naval War College faculty]]
[[Category:American military historians]]
[[Category:American military historians]]
[[Category:American male writers]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]

[[Category:American historians]]
[[Category:American television personalities]]
[[Category:American television personalities]]
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Loomis Chaffee School alumni]]

Revision as of 15:38, 7 March 2024

Geoffrey Wawro (born 1960) is an American Professor of Military History at the University of North Texas, and Director of the UNT Military History Center. His primary area of emphasis is modern and contemporary military history, from the French Revolution to the present.

Bildung

Wawro grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut and as a boy delivered newspapers for the Hartford Courant. He received his diploma from the Loomis-Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut in 1978, and his A-levels in English Literature and German from Cheltenham College, in England, the following year. After receiving his bachelor's degree magna cum laude from Brown University (1983), he attended Yale University, where he received his Master of Arts in European history (1987), his M. Phil. in European History in 1989, and his Ph.D. in 1992. His dissertation, entitled "The Austro-Prussian War: Politics, Strategy and War in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1859-1866" (1992), supervised by Paul Kennedy, argued that the battle of Königgrätz (1866) was not so much won by the brilliance of the Prussian commander Helmuth von Moltke the Elder as it was lost by the incompetence of the Austrian commander Ludwig von Benedek.[1]

Career

Wawro hosted the History Channel's book show Hardcover History, and was host and anchor of the History Channel programs History's Business and History vs. Hollywood, Hard Target, Global View, and History in Focus. His guests have included Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Jack Welch, Robert Rubin, Caspar Weinberger, Warren Christopher, Niall Ferguson, Richard Overy, Stephen Ambrose, Michael Howard, Robert Dallek, Paul Theroux and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

Wawro, an expert on military innovation and international security in Europe, the U.S., and Canada, was also (before his move to Texas) Professor of Strategic Studies at the U.S. Naval War College as well as the Naval War College Review's "special correspondent," a designation that took him to "places or events of strategic or technological interest," including Iran, Brazil and the Paris Air Show.[2]

Wawro won the Austrian Cultural Institute Prize and the Society for Military History Moncado Prize for Excellence in the Writing of Military History. From 1989 to 1991, he was Fulbright Scholar at University of Vienna, Austria, and from 1991 to 1992, an Andrew W. Mellon Doctoral Fellow at Yale University.[1]

Criticism

In a review of Wawro's 1996 book on the Austro-Prussian War, Lawrence Sondhaus criticizes Wawro for falsely claiming that the Austrian Empire intended to destroy the Kingdom of Italy in the Third Italian War of Independence of 1866. Wawro gives no evidence for his thesis of Austrian aggression and then proceeds to lambaste the Austrians for not achieving "goals they never intended to pursue". Wawro also ignores Italy's "sweeping war aims"; her intentions of seizing Trieste, Istria, and Dalmatia, aims that were prevented by the Austrian victory at the Battle of Lissa, and claims the Italians only wanted to acquire Venetia.[3]

Publications

  • Austro-Prussian War (Cambridge, 1996), based on his doctoral dissertation, was History Book Club and Military Book Club main selection.
  • Warfare and Society in Europe, 1792-1914 (Routledge, 2000) is a standard university text.
  • Franco-Prussian War (Cambridge, 2003) was the main selection of the History Book Club and Military Book Club and received a best non-fiction mention from Publishers Weekly, Nov. 2003.
  • Quicksand: America's Pursuit of Power in the Middle East, Penguin Press, 2010.
  • A Mad Catastrophe: The Outbreak of World War I and the Collapse of the Habsburg Empire, Basic Books, 2014.
  • Sons of Freedom: The Forgotten American Soldiers Who Defeated Germany in World War I, fall 2018

He has also served on the editorial teams for over twenty volumes, including The Cambridge Military Histories, which he co-edits with Oxford's Hew Strachan.[1]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Wawro, curriculum vitae Archived 2010-02-02 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 14.06.2009.
  2. ^ University of North Texas, Press Release, [1] Archived 2011-10-03 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 14.06.2009.
  3. ^ Sondhaus 1998, p. 537.

References

  • Sondhaus, Lawrence (April 1998). "The Austro-Prussian War: Austria's War with Prussia and Italy in 1866 by Geoffrey Wawro". The American Historical Review. 103 (2): 536–537. doi:10.2307/2649843. JSTOR 2649843.
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