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An unprecedented panorama of Europe on the brink

July 1914 is a definitive account of the crisis that led to the First World War. Offering a multi-national perspective on the events of that fateful summer, it focuses on the often haphazard and chaotic nature of decision-making in the capitals of Europe, showing how Europe descended into a largely inadvertent war. It is a riveting story of misperceptions and deliberate deceptions; of “doves” and “hawks” who struggled to comprehend a complex international situation; and of the collective failure of Europe’s ruling elites.

Going behind the scenes—from Berlin to London to St. Petersburg and beyond—July 1914 offers a powerful antidote to assumptions of the war’s inevitability.

T. G. Otte is a professor of history at the University of East Anglia.