The Causes of the First World War

More than a hundred years after it began, the question of the origins of World War I remains contested. Based on Mombauer's The Origins of the First World War (2002), this thoroughly revised and expanded volume surveys the long debate, taking the analysis from 1914 to the centenary and beyond.

The causes of the First World War were disputed before the first shots had even been fired. Recriminations intensified following the Treaty of Versailles when the victors accused Germany and its allies of having caused the war. This was the start of a heated blame game in which historians and politicians on all sides became embroiled in a war of documents and publications. More than 100 years on, the question of the origins of the First World War still remains contested.

Based on Annika Mombauer's The Origins of the First World War (2002), this thoroughly revised and expanded volume examines the political and ideological concerns that fuelled these international disagreements and offers an extensive analysis of a complex and unique historical controversy from 1914 to the centenary and beyond. It provides students, teachers, scholars and non-specialist readers with a comprehensive guide through the maze of conflicting interpretations.

Autorentext

Annika Mombauer is Professor of Modern European History at The Open University, UK. Among her publications on the First World War are The Origins of the First World War: Diplomatic and Military Documents (2013) and Helmuth von Moltke and the Origins of the First World War (2001).

Inhalt

Introduction 1.The Beginning of the Blame Game 2. Revisionists and Anti-Revisionists 3. From Scholarly Stagnation to a Paradigm Change: The Question of Continuity in German History 4. Beyond the German Paradigm 5. Centenary Debates and Beyond. Conclusion: The Long Blame Game