July Crisis by T.G. Otte

[yperman]

T G Otte's book 'July Crisis' (Cambridge 2014) provides a fascinating and incredibly detailed analysis of the events leading up to the Great War from the death of Franz Ferdinand. His conclusion (briefly) is it was a failure of Governance of the three Empires that led to a series of flawed foreign policy decisions by inadequate ministers who made them knowing ( especially in Austro-Hungary's case) they would probably lead to a major European war. Otte shows a staggering willingness on the part of Austrian, French, Russian and German politicians, diplomats and military leaders to give unauthorised undertakings and to mislead and even deceive not only their opponents but also their own governments and allies.

Otte argues - in effect- against German 'war guilt'. Rather he sees in early July the Kaiser over lunch casually giving the Austrian ambassador 'off the cuff' a "blank check" of unqualified support. Thereafter Germany's chaotic foreign office, far from planning a war, loses any kind of control over the situation. Otte essentially suggests the German government, through a lack of coherent foreign policy, is led by its Austrian ally into supporting a course of belated military action against Servia which virtually guarantees a war with Russia. The Kaiser is shown as having limited control over the Imperial German government's foreign office and diplomats. Indeed Otte's gives the impression he was most of the time 'out of the loop' and more a buffoon than a dictator - though Otte also shows him in late July trying to reverse the rapid movement towards war.

I suggest this a "must have" book (even if you don't agree with it) if you are interested in the outbreak of the war.

Yperman