1914year6month28dayMorning, when Franz·Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie·When hotek arrived at Sarajevo railway station, it was still a scene of peace. However,37Days later, there was a war here. The resulting war made1 000More than ten thousand lives were turned into dead bones, the three empires were destroyed, and the world history was changed forever.
But today, no one can tell“The first World War”How it started.“The first World War”What is the fuse? Why did Sarajevo cause world war? How did the Balkans become the center of such a heavyweight event? How quickly did the country split into hostile alliances? How do these countries formulate and implement their foreign policies? It is caused by the wrong decision of a person or a country“The first World War”? What efforts have countries made to avoid war? Why does every country claim that they are forced and involved in the war? Why did the crisis escalate into a world war in just a few weeks?
Christopher?Clark traces the source bit by bit from the voluminous historical data, reproducing what happened in decision-making centers such as Vienna, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Paris, London and Belgrade. But his ingenuity will only happen in“The first World War”Against the background of the alliance situation before the fuse (Sarajevo incident) and a series of crises, the focus is on making mistakes and leading to“The first World War”Those who broke out. Clark focus“The first World War”Pre outbreak10Every heavyweight in the diplomatic circles in the past years, including the German Emperor, the Czar and the emperor of Austria Hungary, incisively analyzed their character, their domestic political influence, their understanding of external geopolitics and their motivation.
He finally came to the conclusion,“The first World War”It is a tragedy staged by all countries, not a crime. This disaster cannot be attributed to a particular country. All participants, whether leaders, diplomats or generals, are here“The first World War”Before the outbreak, they were reckless, conceited, cowardly and changeable. They were not maniacs or murderers, but a group of ignorant people who didnt know where to go in the future“Sleepwalker”。
Christopher?Clark also through in-depth research1914The history of decades ago has revealed the chronic disease that has been entangled for a long time: each country has noticed the disastrous consequences, but they have their own special and contradictory interests and concerns; The possible chain reaction of each policy is also difficult to predict; Countries even try to use the universal crisis to strive for their own interests. Clark reminded us that21In the 21st century, the world is becoming multipolar and international relations are becoming increasingly complex“The first World War”The past is quite similar. That history will help us better understand and reflect on todays European debt crisis and even the economic crisis.

The pacy, sensitive and formidably argued history of the causes of the First World War, from acclaimed historian and author Christopher Clark

FINANCIAL TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2014
SUNDAY TIMES and INDEPENDENT BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2012
Winner of the Los Angeles Times History Book Prize 2014

The moments that it took Gavrilo Princip to step forward to the stalled car and shoot dead Franz Ferdinand and his wife were perhaps the most fateful of the modern era. An act of terrorism of staggering efficiency, it fulfilled its every aim: it would liberate Bosnia from Habsburg rule and it created a powerful new Serbia, but it also brought down four great empires, killed millions of men and destroyed a civilization. What made a seemingly prosperous and complacent Europe so vulnerable to the impact of this assassination?

In The Sleepwalkers Christopher Clark retells the story of the outbreak of the First World War and its causes. Above all, it shows how the failure to understand the seriousness of the chaotic, near genocidal fighting in the Balkans would drag Europe into catastrophe.