The Guns of August

In tracing the causes of World War I, The Guns of August often pauses to consider when and how events might have unfolded differently. Though these pivot points sometimes involve complex systems—the military apparatus, relationships between various countries, etc.—they just as often hinge on the choices and traits of individual people. When those people are in positions of power, Tuchman suggests, even seemingly inconsequential decisions can have an outsized impact.

Tuchman’s account of Edward VII’s funeral establishes this intersection of the personal and global by framing the war as something like a family feud. Tuchman draws attention to the blood ties among Europe’s ruling families, including the fact that Wilhelm II was Edward’s nephew. Though Wilhelm’s reasons for resenting Edward are political—he feels that Edward’s diplomatic achievements with Russia and France have alienated and threatened Germany—the intimate context in which Tuchman presents this background underscores the conflict’s personal dimensions. Wilhelm’s resentment and mistrust become driving forces as tension between the European powers escalates, contributing to the outbreak of war.

This is not the work’s only instance of personality shaping world events. For example, when Wilhelm begins to question the wisdom of going to war, his inflexible field marshal Moltke vetoes the kaiser’s attempt to pull out of the Eastern Front simply because he doesn’t want to disrupt their carefully planned train schedule.