Causes of War

International Relations in Europe, 1914-39

In this course, Professor David Stevenson (London School of Economics) explores international relations in Europe in the period 1914-39. We begin by thinking about the origins of the First World War and the extent to which each of the major powers was responsible for the outbreak of war in 1914. After that, in the second module, we think about why the war carried on for as long as it did and the political objectives of each side, before turning in the third module to consider how and why the war came to an end in 1918. In the fourth module, we explore the Paris Peace Conference, focusing in particular on what each of the Big Four hoped to get out of it, before turning in the fifth module to the Treaty of Versailles. Finally, in the sixth module, we think about the League of Nations – its origins at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, its main aims and objectives, and its successes and failures in the 1920s and 30s.

Causes of War

In this module, we think about the factors that led to the outbreak of the First World War, focusing in particular on the role played by Germany, but also by the Serbs, Russia, France and Britain.