What Germany Thinks; Or, The War as Germans see it

This work opens a window onto the German mindset as the continent descended into war, drawing on newspapers, party bulletins and public speeches from the summer of 1914. It shows how ordinary citizens and political leaders wrestled with the tangled web of alliances, the Austrian ultimatum to Serbia, and the looming specter of a continent‑wide conflict. The author places the heated debates over blame—whether it rested with Austria, Serbia, France, England or Russia—at the heart of the narrative, letting the period’s own words speak for themselves.

Through careful examination of rival editorial lines, the book reveals a nation far from monolithic, split between those who praised Austrian resolve and those who warned of disastrous escalation. The Social Democratic press, for example, issued a stark protest that highlighted a deep‑seated apprehension about being drawn into a war not of Germany’s own making. These contrasting voices illustrate how public opinion could have, in theory, steered policy away from catastrophe.

Listeners are offered a vivid sense of the urgency, the rhetoric and the moral dilemmas that animated Germany in those first crucial weeks, making the early days of the Great War feel immediate and human.