Long Fuse Notes
“Truth and the Historian”
Main argument
This is both an introduction to the book and an essay about the causes of World War I, as seen by other historical writers and Lafore himself. He states that “World War I has become a fashion and a fad,” and, while there is nothing wrong with the topic being widely discussed, historians should be careful in using research and analyzing historical topics. The introduction outlines the sources of the conflict that later was known as the Great War. All of the events: hostilities between the great powers, competition for the sea, and expansionism: were what has led to that conflict. But Lafore also argues that no cause can be singled out as the most important, because they all contributed to the relations between European countries before 1914.
Main People
Luigi Albertini: an Italian journalist and politician, who studied the causes of World WarI
Fritz Fischer: a German historian who published a history of German policy before and during the war
Helmuth von Moltke: the German chief of staff who was afrain of a European war, but nevertheless “prepared to urge measures that he knew would bring a general war.”
Outline
A. World War I is among the most widely discussed topics in history
1. Myopia in history: historians see the past from the present (relativism)
a. Not always the correct way of examining it
b. This indicates some sense of bias
2. What happened after 1945 gives a new perspective on the events before 1914 and the war itself
a. The relations of European powers led to the war
b. No single country was to be blamed the most for the causes
3. Terms such as “revisionism” proved to have little significance to the evaluation of the causes of war
a. They have not been guilty of planning a world war
b. Historians found all the countries to be guilty in some way
B. Historians like Albertini and Fischer had opposing views on the war and its participants
1. Albertini did extensive research on Germany’s
Main argument
This is both an introduction to the book and an essay about the causes of World War I, as seen by other historical writers and Lafore himself. He states that “World War I has become a fashion and a fad,” and, while there is nothing wrong with the topic being widely discussed, historians should be careful in using research and analyzing historical topics. The introduction outlines the sources of the conflict that later was known as the Great War. All of the events: hostilities between the great powers, competition for the sea, and expansionism: were what has led to that conflict. But Lafore also argues that no cause can be singled out as the most important, because they all contributed to the relations between European countries before 1914.
Main People
Luigi Albertini: an Italian journalist and politician, who studied the causes of World WarI
Fritz Fischer: a German historian who published a history of German policy before and during the war
Helmuth von Moltke: the German chief of staff who was afrain of a European war, but nevertheless “prepared to urge measures that he knew would bring a general war.”
Outline
A. World War I is among the most widely discussed topics in history
1. Myopia in history: historians see the past from the present (relativism)
a. Not always the correct way of examining it
b. This indicates some sense of bias
2. What happened after 1945 gives a new perspective on the events before 1914 and the war itself
a. The relations of European powers led to the war
b. No single country was to be blamed the most for the causes
3. Terms such as “revisionism” proved to have little significance to the evaluation of the causes of war
a. They have not been guilty of planning a world war
b. Historians found all the countries to be guilty in some way
B. Historians like Albertini and Fischer had opposing views on the war and its participants
1. Albertini did extensive research on Germany’s