The early summer of 1914 was the most glorious Europeans could remember. But, behind the scenes, the most destructive war the world had yet known was moving inexorably into being, a war that would continue to resonate into the twenty-first century. The question of how the Great War of 1914 began has long vexed historians. In a gripping narrative, Fromkin shows that hostilities were started deliberately and that two wars were waged, one serving as pretext for the other. Shedding light on such current issues as preventive war and terrorism, Fromkin provides detailed descriptions of the negotiations and incisive portraits of the diplomats, generals, and rulers as he reveals why diplomacy was destined to fail.

Title from container. Unabridged. Compact disc. In container (17 cm.)

Out of the blue -- The importance of the question -- A summer to remember -- Part 1: Europe's tensions -- 1. Empires clash -- 2. Classes struggle -- 3. Nations quarrel -- 4. Countries arm -- 5. Zarathustra prophesies -- 6. Diplomats align -- Part 2: Walking through minefields -- 7. The eastern question -- 8. A challenge for the Archduke -- 9. Explosive Germany -- Part 3: Drifting toward war -- 10. Macedonia-out of control -- 11. Austria-first off the mark -- 12. France and Germany make their play -- 13. Italy grasps: then the Balkans do too -- 14. The Slavic tide -- 15. Europe goes to the brink -- 16. More Balkan tremors -- 17. An American tries to stop it -- Part 4: Murder! -- 18. The last waltz -- 19. In the land of the assassins -- 20. The Russian connection -- 21. The terrorists strike -- 22. Europe yawns -- 23. Disposing of the bodies -- 24. Rounding up the suspects -- Part 5: Telling lies -- 25: Germany signs a blank check -- 26. The great deception -- 27. Berchtold runs out of time -- 28. The secret is kept -- Part 6: Crisis! -- 29. The fait is not accompli -- 30. Presenting an ultimatum -- 31. Serbia more or less accepts -- Part 7: Countdown -- 32. Showdown in Berlin -- 33. July 26 -- 34. July 27 -- 35. July 28 -- 36. July 29 -- 37. July 30 -- 38. July 31 -- 39. August 1 -- 40. August 2 -- 41. August 3 -- 42. August 4 -- 43. Shredding the evidence -- Part 8: The mystery solved -- 44. Assembling in the library -- 45. What did not happen -- 46. The key to what happened -- 47. What was it about? -- 48. Who could have prevented it? -- 49. Who started it? -- 50. Could it happen again? -- 51. Summing up -- 52. Austria's war -- 53. Germany's war.