Maureen Healy traces the fall of the Habsburg Empire during World War I from the perspective of everyday life in the capital city. She argues that the home front in Europe"s first "total war" was marked by civilian conflict in streets, shops, schools, entertainment venues and apartment buildings. While Habsburg armies waged military campaigns on distant fronts, women, children, and "left at home" men waged a protracted, socially devastating war against one another. The book will appeal to those interested in modern Europe and the history of the Great War.