Ep 80: Holger Afflerbach on How Germany Lost WWI

Holger Afflerbach, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Leeds and author of On a Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War, joins the show to talk about the origins of the First World War, how much Germany is to blame, and why the July Crisis of 1914 is relevant in 2023.  ▪️ Times      •    01:59 Introduction      •    02:46 Fritz Fischer      •    10:34 1914 and today     •    15:24 The Kaiser     •   21:54 Bethmann Hollweg     •    27:46 Military necessity     •    37:25 How did Germany lose?      •    44:10 Murderers or sleepwalkers? For context, and a better sense of the events unfolding in 1914, checkout the National World War One Museum Interactive Timeline and Summer 1914 Day By Day. Follow along on Instagram