Description
Book SynopsisTalks about how land-based military power influenced international affairs during the series of diplomatic crises that led up to the WWI. This work draws on documentary research in military and state archives in Germany, France, Austria, England, and Italy to show the effects of changes in the strength of the European armies during this period.
Trade ReviewWinner of the 1996 Paul Birdsall Prize, American Historical Association "Herrmann argues that the dynamic element which upset the European balance was the change in statesmen's perceptions of the military strengths and weaknesses of their neighbors between 1904 and 1914...A good book [that] draws on evidence from French, German, Austrian, Italian, and British archives."--David French, The Times Literary Supplement "A valuable and long-overdue book... It offers a far more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of military organizations as they faced the calamity of the First World War. A first-rate piece of work."--Eliot A. Cohen, Foreign Affairs
Table of ContentsList of MapsPrefaceList of AbbreviationsIntroduction3Ch. 1The European Armies in 19047Ch. 2The European Armies and the First Moroccan Crisis, 1905-190637Ch. 3Military Effectiveness and Modern Technology, 1906-190859Ch. 4The Bosnia-Herzegovina Annexation Crisis and the Recovery of Russian Power, 1908-1911113Ch. 5The Second Moroccan Crisis and the Beginning of German Panic, 1911-1912147Ch. 6The Balkan Wars and the Spiral of Armaments, 1912-1913173Ch. 7The European Armies and the Outbreak of the First World War199Conclusion225Appendix A: Peacetime Strength of the European Armies, 1904-1913233Appendix B: Army Expenditures of the European Powers, 1904-1914236Notes239Bibliography289Index301
