Britain and the origins of the First World War

The Making of the Twentieth Century

by Zara S. Steiner

Taking into account the scholarship of the last 20 years, this new edition rejects recent arguments that Britain went to war out of either weakness, fear of an "invented" German menace, or fears for the Empire. Instead, while placing greater emphasis than before on the role of Russia, Zara S. Steiner and Keith Neilson maintain the view that Britain was forced into the war in order to preserve the European balance of power and Britain's favorable position within it.

Genres: History, World War I

305 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Zara Steiner, FBA (née Shakow) was an American-born British historian and academic. She specialised in foreign relations, international relations, 20th century history of Europe and of the United States. Her husband is the essayist George Steiner

Reviews

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Distinguished scholar of diplomatic history Zara Steiner's contributions to "The Making of the Twentieth Century" series of scholarly short histories are the only ones in that series to have been written by a woman. She crisply characterizes the era's key players and the factors affecting their decision-making. A fascinating piece of research.

[Marc Lamot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather outdated by now. Follows the classic thesis of the failing elites.