Session 1: Origins of the First World War

Introduction

This session was written by Annika Mombauer.

Determining why the First World War broke out has exercised historians ever since the first shots were fired in the summer of 1914. For students, this is a topic rich in documents to analyse, but also one that really emphasises that to study history is more than just to study facts, figures and events. It is a topic that focuses on historical interpretations developed at a particular time, on how they reflect particular political concerns, and on how there is not just one version of history that is ‘the truth’.