Unleashing a Catastrophe
Historical consensus views the outbreak of World War I in July 1914 as the twentieth century’s primordial catastrophe but debate continues on the question of state responsibility. In this fresh evaluation of Germany and Austria’s primary responsibility for the conflict, two well-known historians re-examine the political maneuverings of Berlin’s and Vienna’s politicians, admirals and generals during the build up to conflict. They also analyse the swings in popular mood and the doubts about the wisdom of a major War expressed by the international business community. In doing so they offer an illuminating interpretation of the antecedents that led to War and the attempts to stop it.
John Roehl was a historian of Imperial Germany and Europe, whose crucial work on the German emperor inspired the composition of this book, but who sadly passed away in October 2023. Most notable for his three-volume biography of Germany’s last emperor, Roehl transformed understandings of the causes of World War I and II. Over his career, he taught at the Universities of Hamburg, Freiburg, Princeton, and, for many years, at Sussex, which awarded him emeritus status in 1999. He won numerous awards, including the Wolfson Prize and the Einhard Prize for European Biography.