The Outbreak of World War I by Edward G. Lengel

This is a two-part class. Class one will take place on Thursday, May 1, and class two on Thursday, May 8. Join Edward G. Lengel in an investigation of the causes of possibly the most influential global event of modern times.

Europe in 1914 stood at the apogee of its wealth, cultural influence, and global power. Then, over a few days in late July and early August, the continent willingly chose to tear itself apart. From London to Vienna, Berlin to Belgrade, and Paris to Moscow, millions of men marched cheering to their destruction. Forty years later, Europe lay in ruins, bereft of its global preeminence. Why? Was World War I inevitable, the product of political and cultural currents that no one could control? Or did the war result from the machinations of a small circle of political and military leaders bent on provoking conflict? Join Edward G. Lengel in an investigation of the causes of possibly the most influential global event of modern times.

Edward G. Lengel is an American military historian and professor and editor-in-chief of The Papers of George Washington documentary editing project in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the author of To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918.