The war that changed everything and nothing: a series of public talks

It was all supposed to be over in a matter of weeks. That’s what the men who marched off to war in the summer of 1914 said to themselves. That’s what the relatives who waved them off believed. The reality that unfolded was grimmer than anyone predicted: by Christmas massive armies were locked in a conflict that lasted for four long years. An estimated nine million lives were lost, and more than 20 million people were wounded, in what became known as the Great War.

In a series of three public lectures at Cambridge University during the first week of February, the eminent historian and author Margaret MacMillan will look at the political, social and economic context in which the First World War erupted with such devastating consequences. She will consider, in particular, contemporary thinking about war, how governments planned for military confrontation, and how the nature of conflict in Europe changed radically in the hundred years leading up to the declaration of war in July 1914.

The lectures are: European Society and War (3 February), Thinking about War before 1914 (4 February), and Planning War before 1914 (6 February).  Open to all and free of charge, with no need to book, the lectures start at 5pm and will be held in Cambridge University’s Law Faculty. There will be a concluding symposium (7 February) in which MacMillan will respond to points raised by invited historians and a public audience. This event is also free and open to all, but requires advance registration at www.crassh.cam.ac.uk


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Image: Gassed by John Singer Sargent
Credit: Imperial War Museum © IWM (Art.IWM ART 1460)


Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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