German Diplomatic Documents 1871-1914

Originally published in English between 1928 and 1931, selected and translated from Die Große Politik der Europäischen Mächte, these 4 volumes represent a collection of invaluable primary resource material.

Historians of any period seek to understand and explain the spirits, prejudices, machinations and motivations of often fleeting moments. Here, then, is a cornucopia of them – about a different age when an army had more than a defensive justification and the idea of War was “not unobjectionable”. These volumes open new windows on Bismarck (as a man of peace!), on the Franco-Prussian confrontation, on the Boer Wars, on the arrival (and preventability) of the Great War itself. They explain the Kaiser’s ambitions and Germany’s too. They explain the Balkans and Middle Europe. Perhaps all four are best approached through the wisdom and ambassadorial eminence of those who provide the introductions - men who had lived through the days when those papers were written and transmitted, now reacting to many of their revelations for the first time. They include Sir Maurice de Bunsen, British Ambassador in Vienna until the day in August 1914 when Germany declared war on Russia and the world was changed.

The volumes are mainly made up of exchanges between the German Foreign Office and its representatives in London, some correspondence between Berlin and continental embassies and important minutes by the German Chancellor or Foreign Minister. The volumes present an extensive picture of the alternating phases of relations between Great Britain, Germany and subsequently, the United States leading up to the eve of the First World War.