The Russian Origins of the First World War

The catastrophe of the First World War, and the destruction, revolution, and enduring hostilities it wrought, make the issue of its origins a perennial puzzle. Since World War II, Germany has been viewed as the primary culprit. Now, in a major reinterpretation of the conflict, Sean McMeekin rejects the standard notions of the war's beginning as either a Germano-Austrian preemptive strike or a "tragedy of miscalculation." Instead, he proposes that the key to the outbreak of violence lies in St. Petersburg. It was Russian statesmen who unleashed the war through conscious policy decisions based on imperial ambitions in the Near East. Unlike their civilian counterparts in Berlin, who would have preferred to localize the Austro-Serbian conflict, Russian leaders desired a more general war so long as British participation was assured. The war of 1914 was launched at a propitious moment for harnessing the might of Britain and France to neutralize the German threat to Russia's goal: partitioning the Ottoman Empire to ensure control of the Straits between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Nearly a century has passed since the guns fell silent on the western front. But in the lands of the former Ottoman Empire, World War I smolders still. Sunnis and Shiites, Arabs and Jews, and other regional antagonists continue fighting over the last scraps of the Ottoman inheritance. As we seek to make sense of these conflicts, McMeekin's powerful exposé of Russia's aims in the First World War will illuminate our understanding of the twentieth century. Contents 8 Abbreviations 10 Author’s Note 12 Introduction: History from the Deep Freeze 16 1. The Strategic Imperative in 1914 21 2. It Takes Two to Tango: The July Crisis 56 3. Russia’s War: The Opening Round 91 4. Turkey’s Turn 113 5. The Russians and Gallipoli 136 6. Russia and the Armenians 162 7. The Russians in Persia 196 8. Partitioning the Ottoman Empire 215 9. 1917: The Tsarist Empire at Its Zenith 235 Conclusion: The October Revolution and Historical Amnesia 255 Notes 266 Bibliography 310 Acknowledgments 324 Index 328 Introduction: History From The Deep Freeze -- The Strategic Imperative In 1914 -- It Takes Two To Tango : The July Crisis -- Russia's War : The Opening Round -- Turkey's Turn -- The Russians And Gallipoli -- Russia And The Armenians -- The Russians In Persia -- Partitioning The Ottoman Empire -- 1917 : The Tsarist Empire At Its Zenith -- Conclusion: The October Revolution And Historical Amnesia. Sean Mcmeekin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In a major reinterpretation, Sean McMeekin rejects the standard notion of the war's beginning as either a Germano-Austrian pre-emptive strike or a miscalculation. The key to the outbreak of violence, he argues, lies in St. Petersburg. Russian statesmen unleashed the war through policy decisions based on imperial ambitions in the Near East. Argues that Russian ambitions to dismantle the Ottoman Empire explain much about World War I, that is unsatisfactorily explained otherwise