Includes bibliographical references (pages 691-710) and index.

Introduction: War or peace? -- Europe in 1900 -- Great Britain and splendid isolation -- "Woe to the country that has a child for king!": Wilhelm II and Germany -- Weltpolitik: Germany's place on the world stage -- Dreadnought: the Anglo-German naval rivalry -- Unlikely friends: the entente cordiale between France and Britain -- The bear and the whale: Russia and Great Britain -- The loyalty of the Nibelungs: the dual alliance of Austria-Hungary and Germany -- What were they thinking?: hopes, fears, ideas, and unspoken assumptions -- Dreaming of peace -- Thinking about war -- Making the plans -- The crises start: Germany, France and Morocco -- The Bosnian crisis: confrontation between Russia and Austria-Hungary in the Balkans -- 1911: the year of discords: Morocco again -- The first Balkan wars -- Preparing for war or peace: Europe's last months of peace -- Assassination at Sarajevo -- The end of the concert of Europe: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia -- Turning out the lights: Europe's last week of peace.

Presents a narrative portrait of Europe in the years leading up to World War I that illuminates the political, cultural, and economic factors and contributing personalities that shaped major events.

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