Thirteen Days

At the end of World War I, Germany was demonized. The Treaty of Versailles contained a war guilt clause pinning the blame on the aggression of Germany and accusing her of supreme offence against international morality. Here, Ponting rejects this thesis, having made a thorough study of the incredibly complex international diplomatic documents. His interpretation rejects also the thesis that Europe in 1914 had reached such a boiling point it was bound to erupt or that the origins of the war lay in a mighty arms race. Instead, he argues that the war occurred becauase of the situation in the Balkans, while he gives full weight to Austria-Hungary's desire to cripple Serbia instead of negotiating and to Russia's militaristic programme of expansion.