Origins of the First World War

The First World War was a tragedy of miscalculation. Throughout the latter third of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, the precarious balance of European peace had been maintained. In the face of threats from all sides, from Bismarck’s incredible alliance system to the Bosnian crisis of 1908, a major conflict had been avoided. In 1911, however the political climate took a turn for the worse. Bitter diplomatic exchanges, combined with a great acceleration in the armaments race, led remorselessly toward the catastrophe of 1914. European leaders lost their grip on events and the world plunged into the abyss.

Origins of the First World War is the story of the diplomatic miscalculations which led to Sarajevo. In this brief and vital account, Professor Turner evaluates the tragic events and conflicting opinions which made the period prior to 1914 one of the most controversial in modern history.