At the turn of the century, Europe was living through the most peaceful era it had known since the fall of the Roman Empire. But instead of continuing along a path of harmony and prosperity, the Continent exploded into a war that changed the world. The war that ended peace brings vividly to life the military leaders, politicians, diplomats, bankers and the extended family of crowned heads who failed to stop the descent into war, among them the mercurial Kaiser Wilhelm II, the hardworking Emperor Franz Joseph, and the doomed Tsar Nicholas II and his wife. MacMillan also shows those whose warnings went unheeded, and those who sensed the early vibrations of a coming tragedy : Alfred Nobel; the urbane Count Harry Kessler, whose diaries capture Europe at a pivotal moment; Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty and a rising figure in British politics; and more. With indelible portraits, Margaret MacMillan shows how the fateful decisions of a few powerful people changed the course of history...and enriches anew our understanding of World War I, and offers a wise reminder of how wars happen in spite of the near-universal desire to keep the peace.

Some copies are the 2014 paperback edition by Random House Trade Paperbacks ; with the same pagination.

Europe in 1900 -- Great Britain and splendid isolation -- "Woe to the country that has a child for king!": Wilhelm II and Germany -- Weltpolitik: Germany's place on the world stage -- Dreadnought: the Anglo-German naval rivalry -- Unlikely friends: the entente cordiale between France and Britain -- The bear and the whale: Russia and Great Britain -- The loyalty of the Nibelungs: the dual alliance of Austria-Hungary and Germany -- What were they thinking? Hopes, fears, ideas, and unspoken assumptions -- Dreaming of peace -- Thinking about war -- Making the plans -- The crises start: Germany, France and Morocco -- The Bosnian crisis: between Russia and Austria-Hungary in the Balkans -- 1911: the year of discords -- Morocco again -- The first Balkan wars -- Preparing for war or peace: Europe's last months of peace -- Assassination at Sarajevo -- The end of the concert of Europe: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia -- Turning out the lights: Europe's last week of peace.