Clive Emsley

Open University

Annika Mombauer

Arthur Marwick

A collection of papers, documents and extracts from primary sources relating to World War I. The material includes the Programme of the Bolshevik party, extracts from the Treaty of Versailles, work by Wilfred Owen and the Kronstadt sailors appeal.

Primary Sources 1: World War I

The seminal event of the 20th century, the origins of the First World War have always been difficult to establish and have aroused deep controversy. Annika Mombauer tracks the impassioned debates as they developed at critical points through the twentieth century. The book focuses on the controversy itself, rather than the specific events leading up to the war. Emotive and emotional from the very beginning of the conflict, the debate and the passions aroused in response to such issues as the ¿war-guilt paragraph¿ of the treaty of Versailles, are set in the context of the times in which they were proposed. Similarly, the argument has been fuelled by concerns over the sacrifices that were made and the casualities that were suffered. Were they really justified?

Controversies and Consensus

The Origins of the First World War

The seminal event of the 20th century, the origins of the First World War have always been difficult to establish and have aroused deep controversy. Annika Mombauer tracks the impassioned debates as they developed at critical points through the twentieth century. The book focuses on the controversy itself, rather than the specific events leading up to the war. Emotive and emotional from the very beginning of the conflict, the debate and the passions aroused in response to such issues as the ‘war-guilt paragraph’ of the treaty of Versailles, are set in the context of the times in which they were proposed. Similarly, the argument has been fuelled by concerns over the sacrifices that were made and the casualities that were suffered. Were they really justified?

A study of the influence of German Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke, 1906-1914.

Helmuth Von Moltke and the Origins of the First World War

Annika Mombauer's essential source reader translates, cross-references and annotates a vast range of international diplomatic and military documents on the origins of the First World War. It collects together newly discovered or not previously available in English, drawn from a broad range of sources and countries into a single, indispensable text for students and scholars alike. The volume includes a detailed scholarly introduction which analyses the most controversial issues in the debate on the origins of the War and provides a comprehensive overview of the history of document collections on the war's origins. The documents cover the period 1911–14, with particular emphasis on the July Crisis and immediate outbreak of war. Thoroughly cross-referenced and annotated, these fascinating sources are presented with authoritative commentary, enabling readers to make connections between the documents to illuminate how the decisions for war were taken, and why. This will be an invaluable resource for anyone studying or teaching the origins of the First World War.

Annika Mombauer

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