The Outbreak Of World War I

by Holger H. Herwig

This volume in the Problems in European Civilization series presents the diversity of viewpoints held by the field's most eminent historians. The editor accompanies the essays and documents with his own essay, providing historical context and insights on each problem discussed.

Genres: History, World War I, European History

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Holger Herwig holds a dual position at the University of Calgary as Professor of History and as Canada Research Chair in the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies. He received his BA (1965) from the University of British Columbia and his MA (1967) and Ph.D. (1971) from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Herwig taught at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1971 until 1989. He served as Head of the Department of History at Calgary from 1991 until 1996. He was a Visiting Professor of Strategy at the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, in 1985-86, and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Distinguished Visiting Professor of Judaic Studies at The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia in 1998.

Reviews

[George Siehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent, thought-provoking, little book presents a selection of eighteen historians addressing the question of which nation bears responsibility for starting World War I. For many years the generally accepted answers were that there was plenty of blame to go around, that the binding provisions of each side's alliances made the conflict was inevitable once the first step was taken, or some authors picked another country to bear the guilt. Article 231 of the Versailles Treaty ending the war specified that Germany and her Allies were responsible for "all the loss and damage to the Allies and Associated Governments." This finding was written by the victors, of course. Its seemingly clear cut determination began losing its clarity through continuing bickering and propaganda over time. Editor Herwig writes, "Documents were destroyed, forged, or 'cleansed' to hide the truth.

This book centers on the renewed controversy caused by the 1961 publication of a book written by a German author, Fritz Fischer, who, based on extensive study of historic documents, once again placed the burden of responsibility primarily on Germany and also its ally, Austria-Hungary. Herwig summarizes Fischer's view that Germany, " inspired by economic interests, sought to achieve world power."

The book's selections touch upon many strands of the complex mosaic that depicts World War I. These selection are excerpts from books, or abridgments of scholarly writings, of the various authors. Herwig has grouped them into three categories: "The Coming of War, The Outbreak of War, and The Question of War Guilt." Each piece is a rewarding read. James Joll, for instance, "examines, long-term patterns of education, the rhetoric of the inevitability of war, invasion scares, and downright fear of the unknown. All of these factors combined to undermine the liberal values of peace and rational resolution of problems," Herwig writes.

L. L. Farrar, writes that each of the participants anticipated that their success would depend upon any war being a short one. But, he shows that the binding constraints of the several treaty arrangements, the Triple Entente and the Alliance, worked against this. For instance, if Germany planned to quickly conquer France, France would not need to surrender because it would still have Russian on its side. He writes, "Since the alliance system insured that military defeat would not result in political isolation, the defeated nation would not be inclined to surrender immediately. The war was therefore likely to be long."

American historian Paul Schroeder offers an interesting alternative view to Fischer's. He agrees that what Fischer, "says about Germany and her bid for world power is true." However, "The difficulty arises in accepting the notion implicit in all of Fischer's work...that that Germany's bid for world power was the...central driving force behind the war. Fischer never demonstrates this convincingly." In a novel reversal of approach to finding the principal cause of the war, he suggests, "A different question may help: not Why World War I? but Why not...World War i was a normal development in international relations, events had been building for a long time." He adds, what is unexpected about the war and needs explanation: its long postponement. Why not until 1914?" His exposition on the parallel developments of Germany and the remaining major powers of Britain, France and Russia in the decades before 1914 is brisk and lucid.

In the concluding entry Herwig details the matter of Patriotic Self-Censorship in Germany in the years following the war. He describes an official program to "counter the Allied charges of German war guilt." The campaign began in the Weimar Republic, continued through the years of the Third Reich, and continued "well into the post-1945 era." The actions included, " selectively editing documentary collections, suppressing honest scholarship, subsidizing pseudo-scholarship, underwriting mass propaganda, and overseeing the export of the propaganda especially to Britain, France, and the United States." Reading the selections included in this book may create an awareness of the critical work of the historian in society: how they obtain their information, how they limit personal bias in interpreting and presenting their research, and even their choices of what to study.

Herwig offers additional thoughts on broader social concerns. He asks, "is a nation well-served when its intellectual establishment conspires to obstruct honest investigation into national catastrophies,, upon which past, present, and future vital national interest can be reassessed?" He adds, The far-reaching effects of the resulting disinformation are incalculable.

This sixth edition was published in 1997 and deals with an event over one hundred years old. And yet, the issues the various authors raise are as current as tomorrow's newspaper, broadcast, or social media posting. Highly recommended, as the direct and accessible work of these scholars is that of public intellectuals, a vanishing breed on the public scene.

[Harron68 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only for those deep into the politics of that era. Holger Herwig edited a variety of opinions on how and who were most responsible for the first world war.
I like that he chose those from varied viewpoints, letting readers see each perspective (bias?). The splitting into camps here in 2025 America, political parties and citizens has me wondering if war within or outside our borders is inevitable. As one of the historian's cynical theories goes, war is just the logical extension of diplomacy by other means. What is different today is how the planet and its peoples can't afford to waste lives, resources and the environment in the name of war. We must settle disputes by peaceful means. WWI was the first big waste of our planet's abundance. Now, the abundance was long ago spent. We know that truth. But can we avoid global destruction? I can hope readers will see how conflict over power is corrosive to civilization. We ought to be better than tribes killing one another for the "glory" of conquest.

[Annie ⚜️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chilling to understand how politicians bandy about the idea of war like it didn't mean the life and death of men, women and children. You probably won't come away understanding much as it's a presentation of all the different theories about the outbreak of the war. You'll have to come to your own conclusions. Also, you'll have to go into it understanding a bit about things already just to follow along at times.