Book Launch The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914

SERIES TITLE
Book Launch - The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914
SPEAKER
Paul Betts
Robert Service
Eugene Rogan

On 31 January 2014, St. Antonys College hosted a book launch for its Warden Professor Margaret MacMillan's new release 'The War That Ended The Peace: The Road to 1914'. Discussants were Paul Betts (St Antonys College, Oxford), Robert Service (St Antonys College, Oxford), Eugene Rogan (St Antonys College, Oxford), and Adam Roberts (Balliol College, Oxford) and the event was chaired by Othon Anastasakis (St Antonys College, Oxford).


The First World War followed a period of sustained peace in Europe during which people talked with confidence of prosperity, progress, and hope. But in 1914, Europe walked into a catastrophic conflict that killed millions, bled its economies dry, shook empires and societies to pieces, and fatally undermined Europes dominance of the world. It was a war that could have been avoided up to the last moment so why did it happen?

Beginning in the early nineteenth century and ending with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, award-winning historian Margaret Macmillan uncovers the huge political and technological changes, national decisions, and just as important, the small moments of human muddle and weakness that led Europe from peace to disaster. This masterful exploration of how Europe chose its path towards war will change and enrich how we see this defining moment in history.