The war that ended peace : how Europe abandoned peace for the First World War / Margaret MacMillan.

Collection type	Library
Author	MacMillan, Margaret, 1943-, author.;
Call Number	940.3112 M167w
Document type	Monograph
Year	2014.
Pagination	xxxi, 699 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits, maps ; 20 cm.
Publisher	Profile Books,
Note	Originally published: 2013. Includes bibliographical references and index. The First World War followed a period of sustained peace in Europe during which people talked with confidence of prosperity, progress and hope. But in 1914, Europe walked into a catastrophic conflict which killed millions of its men, bled its economies dry, shook empires and societies to pieces, and fatally undermined Europe's dominance of the world. It was a war which could have been avoided up to the last moment - so why did it happen? Beginning in the early nineteenth century, and ending with the assas sination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand, award-winning historian Margaret MacMillan uncovers the huge political and technological changes, national decisions and - just as important - the small moments of human muddle and weakness that led Europe from peace to disaster. This masterful exploration of how Europe chose its path towards war will change and enrich how we see this defining moment in our history.
Place made	London :

Abstract

Introduction : war or peace? -- Europe in 1900 -- Great Britain and splendid isolation -- "Woe to the country that has a child for king!" : Wilhelm II and Germany -- Weltpolitik : Germany's place on the world stage -- Dreadnought : the Anglo-German naval rivalry -- Unlikeyl friends : the entente cordiale between France and Britain -- The bear and the whale : Russia and Great Britain -- The loyalty of the Nibelungs : the dual alliance of Austria-Hungary and Germany -- What were they thinking? Hopes, fears, ideas, and unspoken assumptions -- Dreaming of peace -- Thinking about war -- Making the plans -- The crises start : Germany, France and Morocco -- The Bosnian crisis : confrontation between Russia and Austria-Hungary in the Balkans -- 1911 : the year of discords - Morocco again -- The first Balkan wars -- Preparing for war or peace : Europe's last months of peace -- Assassination at Sarajevo -- The end of the concert of Europe : Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia -- Turning out the lights : Europe's last week of peace -- Epilogue : war.