Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan’s newest study, The War That Ended Peace, takes a deep look at the origins of the First World War from the diplomatic and military episodes of the nineteenth century right up to the 1914 assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. MacMillan begins her story in 1900 at the Paris Universal Exposition. At this point, war was far from certain, and a much more hopeful view of the future was still possible. But underneath the celebrations of peace and progress were ripples of the tensions amongst visiting European leaders.
“The Paris exposition had warning signs, easier to see in retrospect, of the tensions which were shortly going to tear European civilization apart,” explains MacMillan. “We know now, of course, that such faith in progress and reason was sadly misplaced, that the Europeans of 1900 were heading towards a crisis in 1914 that they failed to manage, with dreadful consequences.”
MacMillan continues, “We must try to separate that knowledge of what was to come and remember that the Europeans of the time did not, for the most part, realize that they and their leaders were making decisions and taking steps which narrowed their options and which in the end destroyed their peace.”
The road to war in 1914 is often reduced to the same themes — the naval arms race, imperialism and the race to Africa, the challenges of industrialization, and the growth of new social movements. And, while these are all critical to the outbreak of war, the unique moments and choices that quietly moved Europe closer to conflict are often lost in a more generic overview.
That is what makes The War That Ended Peace such an exceptional study. The small elements, from diplomacy to the rise of popular opinion, are richly explored in a way that is engaging and immensely readable. MacMillan carefully weaves together the interpersonal relationships of monarchs and leaders as well as the social movements that were eroding their power.
At times the story seems built on rumour and innuendo, as letters and diaries are produced to show the character of European leaders. But the reality was that the leaders of early twentieth-century Europe were all interconnected, and in many ways this was the world in which they lived.
MacMillan explains after one particular flap between Britain and Germany that, “if both countries had been constitutional monarchies, family quarrels would have ruffled the waters for a moment and produced much gossip but caused no lasting damage. The problem in this case was that the German ruler did have considerable powers and was prepared to use them to achieve his ends of making Germany a world power.” Perhaps not surprisingly, the book focuses heavily on the relationship between Germany and Britain, the deterioration of which, in particular over the naval issue, was a leading factor pushing Europe towards war.
The War That Ended Peace is also an exceptional example of how Canadian history in general could use more input from the rest of the world. It’s very easy for Canadians to view the First World War and its one hundredth anniversary in the context of Vimy Ridge and Canada’s growth during the war — these are important for Canada. But the war should still be remembered as a global conflict that, worryingly, resonates today.
At the core of The War That Ended Peace is the question of change in all aspects of society. A century that opened on hope was soon destroyed, and Europe imploded as it failed to keep up with the transitions that were sweeping across the continent. “Very little in history is inevitable,” writes MacMillan. “Europe did not have to go to war in 1914; a general war could have been avoided up to the last moment on August 4 when the British finally decided to come in.”
The war was never a foregone conclusion. It’s a stark lesson that remains extremely relevant today. The War That Ended Peace should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in world affairs.
— Joel Ralph (Read bio)
Joel Ralph is the director of programs for Canada's History Society.