How Wars Begin

Taylor examines eight major conflicts, from the Napoleonic era to the Cold War, discussing the motives and personalities behind the decisions to go to war. Some wars had a long background, whilst others were brought about by the overweening ambitions of a single man - Napoleon at the beginning of the period, Hitler towards the end. Public opinion, secret diplomacy, jingoism, armament manufacturers, and even historians, have all played a role in setting nation against nation.
How Wars Beginis a brilliant examination of one of the most challenging of all historical issues from one of the greatest historians of his generation.
Praise for A.J.P. Taylor:
'Anything Mr Taylor writes is worth reading ... he is our greatest popular historian since Macaulay' -The Spectator.
'His informal, pithy style makes the book compelling - even exciting - reading' -The Irish Times.
A.J.P. Taylor(1906-90) was one of the most controversial historians of the twentieth century. He served as a lecturer at the Universities of Manchester, Oxford, and London. Taylor was significant both for the controversy his work on Germany and the Second World War engendered and for his role in the development of history on television.