The Origins of World War I (lecture)

Lecture (available as video, audio and transcript) delivered by Professor John Merriman as part of the Open Yale College course ‘France Since 1871′. The traditional, diplomatic history of World War I is helpful in understanding how a series of hitherto improbable alliances come to be formed in the early years of the twentieth century. In the case of France and Russia, this involves a significant ideological compromise. Along with the history of imperial machinations, however, World War I should be understood in the context of the popular imagination and the growth of nationalist sentiment in Europe. Lecture chapters: Tangled Maps of Empire: Diplomatic Origins of the First World War [00:00:00] A Delicate Balances: The Shifting Alliances of the Great Powers [00:07:24] The British Empire on the World Stage: Capabilities on the Continent [00:19:26] Mounting Tensions in Alsace-Lorraine: The Saverne Crisis [00:32:29] War Expectations and Enthusiasm [00:40:14]