Target achieved

I last blipped these on 29th October and in response I said that I would have them read by Christmas and I got there by today. I started with Margaret MacMacmillan's book about the end of peace in 1914 and the more I read about the subject the more I realise how important social darwinism was to people's thinking at the time. Survival of the fittest was almost axiomatic at the time and thus fighting was seen as virtuous, not something to be avoided. Professor MacMillan is the grand-daughter of Lloyd George.

The middle book was about the efforts of those allied soldiers sent to Macedonia and the hardships they faced.

The final book, "The Sinews of Power" is about Britain's financial power in the 18th Century. Vat is much simpler than the way the Excise was organised at that time but apparently Britain had a highly efficient tax system at the time.