The Month that Changed the World

July 1914 and WWI

Gordon Martel

A gripping, step by step account of the five fateful weeks in 1914 that led to the First World War
Investigates the twists and turns of the July Crisis afresh to show how the catastrophe really unfurled
Highlights how the personalities of the leading statesmen were central to the unfolding crisis
Makes clear how little the conflict was in fact premeditated, preordained, or even predictable
The story of a terrible, unnecessary tragedy, as the Great Powers escalated a Balkan problem into the cataclysm of general war

The Month that Changed the World

July 1914 and WWI

Gordon Martel

Description

On 28 June 1914 the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in the Balkans. Five fateful weeks later the Great Powers of Europe were at war.

Much time and ink has been spent ever since trying to identify the "guilty" person or state responsible, or alternatively attempting to explain the underlying forces that 'inevitably' led to war in 1914. Unsatisfied with these explanations, Gordon Martel now goes back to the contemporary diplomatic, military, and political records to investigate the twists and turns of the crisis afresh, with the aim of establishing just how the catastrophe really unfurled.

What emerges is the story of a terrible, unnecessary tragedy - one that can be understood only by retracing the steps taken by those who went down the road to war. With each passing day, we see how the personalities of leading figures such as Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Emperor Franz Joseph, Tsar Nicholas II, Sir Edward Grey, and Raymond Poincare were central to the unfolding crisis, how their hopes and fears intersected as events unfolded, and how each new decision produced a response that complicated or escalated matters to the point where they became almost impossible to contain.

Devoting a chapter to each day of the infamous "July Crisis," this gripping step by step account of the descent to war makes clear just how little the conflict was in fact premeditated, preordained, or even predictable. Almost every day it seemed possible that the crisis could be settled as so many had been over the previous decade; almost every day there was a new suggestion that gave statesmen hope that war could be avoided without abandoning vital interests.

And yet, as the last month of peace ebbed away, the actions and reactions of the Great Powers disastrously escalated the situation. So much so that, by the beginning of August, what might have remained a minor Balkan problem had turned into the cataclysm of the First World War.

The Month that Changed the World

July 1914 and WWI

Gordon Martel

PROLOGUE: THE LONG EUROPEAN PEACE
PART ONE: The Making of a Crisis
The Killing
The Reaction
PART TWO: The July Crisis
Day One: Friday, 24 July
Day Two: Saturday, 25 July
Day Three: Sunday, 26 July
Day Four: Monday, 27 July
Day Five: Tuesday, 28 July
Day Six: Wednesday, 29 July
Day Seven: Thursday, 30 July
Day Eight: Friday, 31 July
PART THREE: Days of Decision
Saturday to Tuesday, 1-4 August
PART FOUR: The Aftermath
Making Sense of the Madness
Notes
List of Works Cited
Picture Acknowledgements
Index

The Month that Changed the World

July 1914 and WWI

Gordon Martel

Author Information

Gordon Martel is a leading authority on war, empire, and diplomacy in the modern age. His numerous publications include studies of the origins of the first and second world wars, modern imperialism, and the nature of diplomacy. A founding editor of The International History Review, he has taught at a number of Canadian universities, and has been a visiting professor or fellow in England, Ireland and Australia. Editor-in-chief of the five-volume Encyclopedia of War, he is also joint editor of the longstanding Seminar Studies in History series.

The Month that Changed the World

July 1914 and WWI

Gordon Martel

Reviews and Awards

"An eminent and prolific historian of war and diplomacy, now retired from the University of Northern British Columbia, Martel notes that because it is so difficult to get at these underlying assumptions, 'there is not, and there never will be, a neat explanation that ties up all of the loose ends' about the origins of the Great War."--Financial Times

"This is an outstanding work and a significant contribution to our understanding of the origins of that terrible war."--Army Magazine

"Mr. Martel's The Month That Changed the World relies on published primary sources (which are exploited very thoroughly) and secondary works, and the author makes very effective use of a day-by-day narrative approach. He has some acute insights."--Wall St Journal

"Few will accuse Martel of hyperbole-the events leading up to WWI certainly changed world history dramatically-and in this fascinating and accessible account, the editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of War clearly details the day-by-day developments, from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo to England's declaration of war."--Publishers Weekly

"Martel's book is a great work and provides a readable and engaging account of a notoriously complex subject."--H-Net

"During the centenary year an avalanche of books on the First World War's origins will descend upon the public. Gordon Martel's will stand out among them for its authoritative judgements and for its no-nonsense focus on the decisions that caused the conflict's outbreak. It offers a detailed but compelling narrative of the July 1914 crisis, based overwhelmingly on first-hand and contemporary evidence."--David Stevenson, author of 1914-1918: the History of the First World War

"Martel embraces the complexity of the historical moment and presents a thoroughly (and at times, bewilderingly) detailed blow-by-blow account of the flurry of diplomatic activity that, despite many opportunities to maintain peace, ultimately plunged the world into war."--Booklist