Escape into war? : the foreign policy of imperial Germany /

This volume comprises a series of lectures given at Oxford and is designed to familiarize English-speaking audiences with the results of research by German historians. A helpful introduction by the editor is followed by a summary analysis by Fritz Fischer (the doyen of the trade) of German foreign policy since 1890 and of the July 1914 crisis. The same topic is addressed from a different angle by the East German historian Willibald Gutsche. A rather succinct essay by Michael Sturmer examines the geography and dynamic national context of German foreign affairs. Klaus Hildebrand aptly characterizes Bismarckian foreign policy as "a system of stopgaps"; his essay is followed by Reiner Pommerin's more innovative assessment of Germany's reaction to the entry of Japan and the US into the world system. Immanuel Geiss and editor Schollgen explore the merits of German Weltpolitik and its impact upon the European balance of power. The concluding sections dissect the July crisis and the forces that prevented its localization (Gustav Schmidt) and assess the long-term impact of WW I (Andreas Hillgruber). Though the essays vary in quality, they are well argued and well written, and clearly put German imperial policy in the broad framework of the European and world order. Good documentation and bibliography. Upper-division undergraduates and above; a must for college libraries. -G. P. Blum, University of the Pacific