The Origins of the First World War

A second edition of the leading introduction to the origins of the First World War and the pre-war international system.

William Mulligan (Author)

9781316612354, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 13 April 2017

268 pages, 7 b/w illus. 3 maps
22.8 x 15.1 x 1.5 cm, 0.39 kg

'Mulligan's approach is long overdue. Rather than focus on the traditional reasons - nationalism, arms races, militarism and alliance structures - adduced to show why war was inevitable, Mulligan challenges us to consider why the powerful restraints against war proved inadequate in 1914. The result is to deepen and enrich our understanding of the origins of the war.' Keith Neilson, Royal Military College of Canada

A second edition of this leading introduction to the origins of the First World War and the pre-war international system. William Mulligan shows how the war was a far from inevitable outcome of international politics in the early twentieth century and suggests instead that there were powerful forces operating in favour of the maintenance of peace. He discusses key issues ranging from the military, public opinion, economics, diplomacy and geopolitics to relations between the great powers, the role of smaller states and the disintegrating empires. In this new edition, the author assesses the extensive new literature on the war's origins and the July Crisis as well as introducing new themes such as the relationship between economic interdependence and military planning. With well-structured chapters and an extensive bibliography, this is an essential classroom text which significantly revises our understanding of diplomacy, political culture, and economic history from 1870 to 1914.

1. Introduction
2. Security and expansion: the great powers and geopolitics, 1871–1914
3. The military, war, and international politics
4. Public opinion and international relations
5. The world economy and international politics before 1914
6. The July Crisis
7. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: First World War [HBWN], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], General & world history [HBG]