An Improbable War?

The Outbreak of World War I and European Political Culture before 1914

By: Holger Afflerbach (Editor), David Stevenson (Editor)

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Hardcover | 1 October 2007

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Hardcover
380 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.39 x 15.6 x 2.24

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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."

Industry Reviews

"...outstanding scholarly analyses...These essays comprise a valuable addition to the never-ending debate on the causes of the Great War." · Stand To! The Journal of the Western Front Association

"...vigorously and thoughtfully renews one of the great, enduring questions of twentieth-century European and world history. This is a landmark book that sums up the state of research and suggests fruitful possibilities for going forward." · German Studies Review

"The value of the book is in the chapters, all of which are thoughtful and well argued." · The International History Review

"Like any provocative book, this one forced me to rethink some of my historiographical assumptions." · Bryan Ganaway, College of Charleston

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List of Maps
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
Foreword: President Jimmy Carter: A Century of War and Peace
Introduction	p. 1
European Statescraft and the Question of War and Peace Before 1914
Stealing Horses to Great Applause: Austria-Hungary's Decision in 1914 in Systemic Perspective	p. 17
Did Norms Matter in Nineteenth-Century International Relations? Progress and Decline in the "Culture of Peace" before World War I	p. 43
Aggressive and Defensive Aims of Political Elites? Austro-Hungarian Policy in 1914	p. 61
The Curious Case of the Kaiser's Disappearing War Guile: Wilhelm II in July 1914	p. 75
The Military Situation Before 1914: Europe Between Hot and Cold War
Chances and Limits of Armament Control 1898-1914	p. 95
Was a Peaceful Outcome Thinkable? The Naval Race before 1914	p. 113
Was a Peaceful Outcome Thinkable? The European Land Armaments Race before 1914	p. 130
The German and Austro-Hungarian General Staffs and their Reflections on an "Impossible" War	p. 149
Hopes and Fears of War and Peace: Subjective Expectations and Unspoken Assumptions in European Societies Before 1914
The Topos of Improbable War in Europe before 1914	p. 161
Unfought Wars: The Effect of Detente before World War I	p. 183
"War Enthusiasm?" Public Opinion and the Outbreak of War in 1914	p. 200
Education for War, Peace, and Patriotism in Russia on the Eve of World War I	p. 213
Culture, Gender, Religiosity, and the Coming of War
Honor, Gender, and Power: The Politics of Satisfaction in Pre-War Europe	p. 233
International Solidarity in European and North American Protestantism before 1914 and after	p. 256
International Relations, Arts, and Culture before 1914	p. 271
The Perspective from Afar: The Outbreak of War in Europe in the Eyes of Other Continents
War as the Savior? Hopes for War and Peace in Ottoman Politics before 1914	p. 287
The View from Japan: War and Peace in Europe around 1914	p. 303
War, Peace, and Commerce: The American Reaction to the Outbreak of World War I in Europe	p. 320
Contributors	p. 335
Selected Bibliography	p. 341
Index of Names	p. 361
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

An Improbable War?

The Outbreak of World War I and European Political Culture before 1914

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

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