Today marks the hundredth anniversary of the declaration of the First World War. Britain's entry into the war was one of the most significant and consequential foreign policy decisions ever to have been taken. It led to four years of war which left almost a million Britons dead and over two million wounded. Its ambiguous legacy required us to go to war again, 25 years later, against a much more dangerous foe.
For some, the First World War was an unmitigated disaster into which Britain was drawn by clueless politicians, made worse by incompetent generals and which marked the beginning of the end of British global dominance. For others, it was an act of great bravery—an intervention on behalf of a weaker ally (Belgium) to stop an overbearing imperial power.
Below are five Prospect articles on the conflict and its place in history. Let us know how they inspire you on Twitter or Facebook.
How should Germany commemorate the First World War?
Hew Strachan unpicks the thorny political and historical issues surrounding the way in which Germany is honouring its war dead
A drama never surpassed
Bronwen Maddox wonders how Europe's leaders could have allowed the war to happen, and then let it continue for four more years
Judgement and understanding: Margaret MacMillan on the First World War
Historian Margaret MacMillan speaks to Prospect's Jonathan Derbyshire about what went on in the heads of those who led Europe into the conflict
England is a garden
The late Sir John Keegan explores the peculiarly English sense of belonging created by the War Graves Commission
Jeremy Paxman in conversation with Bronwen Maddox
On 29th October 2013, Prospect hosted an event with Jeremy Paxman to discuss his book on the First World War. This is an edited transcript
For some, the First World War was an unmitigated disaster into which Britain was drawn by clueless politicians, made worse by incompetent generals and which marked the beginning of the end of British global dominance. For others, it was an act of great bravery—an intervention on behalf of a weaker ally (Belgium) to stop an overbearing imperial power.
Below are five Prospect articles on the conflict and its place in history. Let us know how they inspire you on Twitter or Facebook.
How should Germany commemorate the First World War?
Hew Strachan unpicks the thorny political and historical issues surrounding the way in which Germany is honouring its war dead
A drama never surpassed
Bronwen Maddox wonders how Europe's leaders could have allowed the war to happen, and then let it continue for four more years
Judgement and understanding: Margaret MacMillan on the First World War
Historian Margaret MacMillan speaks to Prospect's Jonathan Derbyshire about what went on in the heads of those who led Europe into the conflict
England is a garden
The late Sir John Keegan explores the peculiarly English sense of belonging created by the War Graves Commission
Jeremy Paxman in conversation with Bronwen Maddox
On 29th October 2013, Prospect hosted an event with Jeremy Paxman to discuss his book on the First World War. This is an edited transcript
