1914: Why the World Went to War

by Niall Ferguson

One of Penguin's bestselling non-fiction authors, Niall Ferguson has been hailed as the most brilliant historian of his generation for his fresh, provocative and controversial approach to subjects ranging from money to empires. This extract has been specially selected and adapted from Ferguson's bestselling The Pity of War (1998), a radical reassessment of the First World War that exploded many myths surrounding the conflict.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War I, War, Politics

56 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 6, 2005

About the author

Niall Ferguson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, former Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University and current senior fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University, a visiting professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing, and founder and managing director of advisory firm Greenmantle LLC.

The author of 15 books, Ferguson is writing a life of Henry Kissinger, the first volume of which--Kissinger, 1923-1968: The Idealist--was published in 2015 to critical acclaim. The World's Banker: The History of the House of Rothschild won the Wadsworth Prize for Business History. Other titles include Civilization: The West and the Rest, The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die and High Financier: The Lives and Time of Siegmund Warburg.

Ferguson's six-part PBS television series, "The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World," based on his best-seller, won an International Emmy for best documentary in 2009. Civilization was also made into a documentary series. Ferguson is a recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Service as well as other honors. His most recent book is The Square and the Tower: Networks on Power from the Freemasons to Facebook (2018).

(Source: Amazon)

Reviews

[Spencer Fancutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting primer for Ferguson's The Pity of War. I love these little Penguin 70's books, but I'm not sure it works so well adapting from history texts- I had the suspicion that I was supposed to already be familiar with many of the politicians mentioned. I was forty pages in before I found out who Sir Edward Grey was, who appears on just about every page.
Ferguson's thesis that the war was not an unavoidable natural catastrophe, but the result of specific decisions made by those in power, is compelling (if rather obvious) and his research looks sound from a non-historian's pov. He also posits that British intervention changed the intentions of the German offensive from a limited expansion to a much larger thirst for conquest. Great Christmas reading.

[Coenraad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ferguson supplies a succinct and clear discussion explaining how the First World War came about. In this version of his work the focus falls predominantly on the reasons and motivations behind Germany's and Britain's approach to the possibility of war and the eventual practicalities, as well as the diplomatic fall-out. As fascinating as it is (his clear writing, citing and interpreting a variety of sources and investigating aspects he asserts others have not incorporated sufficiently), it underlines the futility of diplomacy when certain grandstanding individuals want war, and the stupidity of war. Does humanity deserve peace? Where are the women in all of this while the men prepare for an 'inevitable' war (with Ferguson arguing how it could have been avoided; and DON'T say Margaret Thatcher!)? Despite Ferguson's success in making readers understand this particular form of madness (or perhaps because of it), the whole chunk of history remains rather depressing.

Niall Ferguson skryf verhelderend oor die Duitse en Britse benadering tot die moontlikheid van oorlog in 1914. Ten spyte van (of dalk juis danksy!) die helder insig, bly die hele stuk geskiedenis maar 'n rede tot mismoedigheid oor die aard en die toekoms van die mens as spesie.

[Lex Redding · Rating 3 out of 5]

A political snapshot of 1914 that was difficult to follow at times without in depth knowledge of WW1 history.

[Hrvoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew its short. But not that short. And yet on the other side full of som background info on ww1.

[Ian McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 56-page, "Penguin Pocket", extract of Ferguson's "The Pity of War" which centres on the events of the final few days prior to war in July 1914.
As ever with Ferguson, he argues with such clarity and such ferocity, and with brilliant use of primary source material, that he arguments jump - convincingly - from the pages as obvious to the reader. The argumentation is something that I share with IB students every year.
AND YET...as the world's leading proponent of "counter-factual" considerations within History, Ferguson (to me at least) always does himself a disservice when examining that which did not happen. His argument here is fine without the reliance of a central theme being counter-factual discussions of the political pressures placed on Asquith's government by the Unionist and Conservative bloc led by Bonar Law.
A useful - detailed - coverage of the final days before the First World War erupted for any serious IB Diploma Programme historian.

[Jacqueline]

I would no be reading a 50 page "why did the War happen?" if I knew all about the early 20th century empires of Europe.

I mistook this for an introductory read, and was thrown off by how much detail there was, and how little context. This was condensed from a much larger books, but not edited much for a different audience.

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well what do you know; war is not inevitable and there are alternatives! I may send a copy to Tony Blair for Christmas!