Unleashing a Catastrophe

John Roehl was a historian of Imperial Germany and Europe, whose crucial work on the German emperor inspired the composition of this book, but who sadly passed away in October 2023. Most notable for his three-volume biography of Germany’s last emperor, Roehl transformed understandings of the causes of World War I and II. Over his career, he taught at the Universities of Hamburg, Freiburg, Princeton, and, for many years, at Sussex, which awarded him emeritus status in 1999. He won numerous awards, including the Wolfson Prize and the Einhard Prize for European Biography.

• PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroductionChapter 1. The War Council of December 1912 and the Role of the Reich GovernmentChapter 2. Continued International and Domestic Tensions up to Sarajevo, 28 June 1914Chapter 3. The Immediate Origins of World War I in 1914Chapter 4. Reactions of Europe’s Populations and Businessmen to the Threat of WarChapter 5. The Unfolding of the War in the West and Peace Feelers, August-September 1914ConclusionsSelect BibliographyIndex