Helmuth Von Moltke and the Origins of the First World War

Annika Mombauer; Peter Baldwin; Christopher Clark
Cambridge University Press
9780521019569
0-521-01956-7

This book explores the influence of Helmuth von Moltke, Germany's Chief of the General Staff between 1906 and 1914. Based largely on previously-unknown primary sources, it shows that Moltke's influence.

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on the Kaiser and on Germany's political decision-making to have been decisive, helping to foster an increasingly confrontational mood. The book also takes issue with the common perception of Moltke as a reluctant military leader, concluding that he was both bellicose and ambitious and played a crucial role in the outbreak of the First World War.