An Improbable War?: The Outbreak of World War I and European Political Culture Before 1914Holger Afflerbach, David Stevenson The First World War has been described as the "primordial catastrophe of the twentieth century." Arguably, Italian Fascism, German National Socialism and Soviet Leninism and Stalinism would not have emerged without the cultural and political shock of World War I. The question why this catastrophe happened therefore preoccupies historians to this day. The focus of this volume is not on the consequences, but rather on the connection between the Great War and the long 19th century, the short- and long-term causes of World War I. This approach results in the questioning of many received ideas about the war's causes, especially the notion of "inevitability." |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
EUROPEAN STATESCRAFT AND THE QUESTION | 15 |
CHAPTER 2 | 43 |
CHAPTER 5 | 44 |
CHAPTER 3 | 61 |
CHAPTER 4 | 75 |
Chances and Limits of Armament Control 18981914 | 95 |
CHAPTER 6 | 113 |
CHAPTER 12 | 213 |
CHAPTER 13 | 227 |
The Politics of Satisfaction in PreWar Europe | 233 |
CHAPTER 14 | 256 |
CHAPTER 15 | 271 |
THE PERSPECTIVE FROM AFAR THE OUTBREAK OF WAR IN EUROPE | 285 |
CHAPTER 17 | 303 |
CHAPTER 18 | 320 |
CHAPTER 7 | 130 |
CHAPTER 8 | 149 |
HOPES AND FEARS OF WAR AND PEACE SUBJECTIVE EXPECTATIONS | 159 |
CHAPTER 10 | 183 |
War Enthusiasm? Public Opinion and the Outbreak of War in 1914 | 200 |
Contributors | 335 |
| 341 | |
| 361 | |
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Common terms and phrases
aggressive alliance ally ambassador American Anglo-German Annika Mombauer argued armaments arms race army August Austria-Hungary Austrian Austro-Hungarian Balkan Balkan Wars Berchtold Berlin Bethmann Hollweg Britain British Christian Concert Concert of Europe conference conflict Conrad culture danger debate decision declared détente Deutsche Dokumente developments diplomatic elite Entente Epkenhans Ersten Weltkrieg essay Europäische Europe European Falkenhayn foreign policy France Franz Ferdinand Franz Joseph Freiburg French Friedrich Friedrich Siegmund-Schultze German Germany's Habsburg Monarchy Hague historians Holger Afflerbach honor Ibid Imperial improbable inevitable international law international politics international system Japan Japanese July Crisis Kaiser Wilhelm Kaiser Wilhelm II Kronenbitter leaders London ment military modern Moltke Munich naval navy nineteenth century normative ideas officers Ottoman Empire outbreak pacifists patriotism peace Politisches question Reich relations role Russia Sarajevo Serbia Slav social society South Slav Staff tion Tirpitz Tisza topos treaty United Vienna warfare wars World York