The Decline of Bismarck's European Order Franco-Russian Relations 1875-1890 [Paperback]

In an attempt to discover some of the underlying origins of World War I, the eminent diplomat and writer George Kennan focuses on a small sector of offstage events to show how they affected the drama at large long before the war even began. In the introduction to his book George Kennan tells us, I came to see World War I . . . as the great seminal catastrophe of this century--the event which . . . lay at the heart of the failure and decline of this Western civilization. But, he asks, who could help being struck by the contrast between this apocalyptic result and the delirious euphoria of the crowds on the streets of Europe at the outbreak of war in 1914! Were we not, he suggests, in the face of some monstrous miscalculation--some pervasive failure to read correctly the outward indicators of one's own situation? It is from this perspective that Mr. Kennan launches a micro-history of the Franco-Russian relationship as far back as the 1870s in an effort to determine the motives that led people to wander so blindly into the horrors of the First World War.

George F. Kennan(1904 -2005) was the U.S. Ambassador to Russia and Yugoslavia, and professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. He is the author of many books, includingSoviet-American Relations, 1917-1920(two volumes) andFrom Plague After Munich: Diplomatic Papers, 1938-1940(both from Princeton). Mr. Kennan takes full advantage of the colorful opportunities that the Franco-Russian romance presents. He has not only advanced our knowledge significantly by impressive research; he presents his results with great skill; he writes beautifully, harmoniously, and vividly. He is at his best when revealing how human frailties played havoc with national interests. ---Theodore Zeldin,The New York Times Book Review Our former Ambassador to Russia and Yugoslavia brings to this study the attributes of a seasoned diplomat, historian, and linguist. With admirabl#>