1914: Austria-Hungary, the Origins, and the First Year of World War I

For the past 100 years some of the greatest historians and political scientists of the twentieth century have picked apart, analyzed and reinterpreted this sequence of events taking place within a single month in July/early August 1914. The four years of fighting during World War I destroyed the international system put into place at the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15 and led to the dissolution of some of the great old empires of Europe (Austrian-Hungarian, Ottomon, Russian). The 100th anniversary of the assassination of the Austrian successor to the throne Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo unleashed the series of events that unleashed World War I. The assassination in Sarajevo, the spark that set asunder the European powder keg, has been the focus of a veritable blizzard of commemorations, scholarly conferences and a new avalanche of publications dealing with this signal historical event that changed the world. Review: The very book is sponsored by Austria which is clearly visible on page 3, it is stated: "Sponsored by.... and Universität Innsbruck." One of the authors of the book (Günter Bischof) comes/has roots from Austria. Further it should be said that this is a free/open access ebook. Why? Is it just to spread for free objective truth and democracy? The fact is there is no consensus among historians about the causes for WW1. The things are more complex, like during WW2. It is about West vs East. Just find the cause and justify Drang nach Osten... like recently Yugoslavia, Libya, etc... Bottom the line a good book but lacking a lot of objectivity.