This book summarises the policies, issues and crises that brought Europe to war in 1914. The fourth edition has been revised and updated throughout, explaining how and why the alliance system was created, how alliances led to a network of complicated strategic commitments, how an escalating series of international crises from the turn of the century fuelled preparations for war and why the peculiarities of the Balkan situation are essential in understanding the outbreak of war. With a updated Guide to Further Reading, Who's Who, Glossary and selection of documents, it is essential introductory reading for all students interested in the origins of the First World War.