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The fateful alliance: France, Russia, and the coming of the First World War

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George F. Kennan, the 'eminence grise' of American politics has at long last answered the question of who started the Great War of 1914-18. Kennan tells us that the fateful Franco-Russian Alliance signed in 1894 was not a counterweight to Bismarck's Triple Alliance as historians have commonly alleged, but was in fact an agreement between France and Russia to attack and defeat the Central Powers (Germany and Austria) at the first propitious moment. Czar Alexander III who signed the "Alliance" on behalf of Russia died unexpectedly a few months later and Franco-Russian plans were put on hold. But two decades later, the son of Alexander III, the woefully unprepared Nicholas II carried out his father's ambition to control Constantinople and the Straits.
Kennan's book, like his earlier works, is fully documented and written in clear, compelling prose. This book is MUST reading for anyone wanting to understand the cause(s) of World War 1.

This book is very interesting, very innovative. It presents an accurate view of the european events that created the climate for WW I. Curisously, and paradoxically, it is practically impossible to find in Europe, even less in Madrid, Spain. May be it should be translated into french and russian, since the episodes described are, somehow, the pattern of what has been the foreign policy of the main powers in Europe. It helps to understand, not only the First World war, but also, the dynamics on European recent history.
Kennan was a man that rarely appears in the public service: committed, cultivated, curious, and a wonderful writer. I knew the existence of this book thanks to John Lukacs' book, "George Kennan, a study of character". This one, fortunately, is available in spanish. Reading Kennan should be part of the training for diplomats, and not only American ones.
The copy of "The fateful alliance" I bought is very well published and in excellent condition, what helps to the reading.