I am still not completely certain on what I want to do for my dissertation topic, however it will be related to how events that took place throughout Europe led to the outbreak of the First Word War.
Secondary Sources:
- Williamson, Samuel R. “The Origins of World War I.” The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 18, no. 4 (1988): 795-818. www.jstor.org/stable/204825
I found this secondary source after doing a search on JSTOR about how the first world war started. This source would be useful for my dissertation as Williamson explains in great detail different factors which led to the outbreak of war in 1914, he evaluates the relations between different European countries in the pre war period and how the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the formation of the triple entente/triple alliance led to an outbreak in war.
2. Bid for World Power? New Research on the Outbreak of the First World War, ed. Andreas Gestrich and Hartmut Pogge von Strandmann (Oxford: Oxford U.P., 2017; pp. 444.
This secondary source was found using the library catalogue and could be used in my dissertation as this article analyses in great depth new research which was carried out to suggest the cause of the great war was down to European countries wanting to become the leading world power. There is a key focus on the findings of late German historian Fritz Fischer and his theory that the outbreak of war was all down to Germany wanting to become a world power.
Primary Sources:
3. Helmuth J. L. von Moltke to Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg (July 29, 1914), in Walther Schücking and Max Montgelas, eds., Die Deutschen Dokumente zum Kriegsausbruch [German Documents on the Outbreak of the War]. 5 vols., Berlin, 1922, vol. 5, p. 349.
I found this primary source after watching the lecture with Helen. This source was found in the German History in documents section and is a source I would most likely use in my dissertation as it explains the conflict which was ongoing between Austria and Serbia and how this then caused tensions to arise between other countries as Serbia was protected by Russia and Austria was regarded as a central power which Germany controlled. This source would be beneficial for me to use as it explains my topic in detail about how events that took place led to the first world war.
4. Entry from the diary of Georg Alexander von Müller (December 8, 1912). Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv, Freiburg [BArch N 159/4 Fol. 169-171].
This primary source was also found after the guidance given by Helen in the lecture. This source was a diary entry outlining the Kasier’s plans and how the events in Europe that were taking place made it inevitable for Germany to declare war on Russia. This source would be useful for my dissertation as it discusses the Kasier’s plans regarding the war and how the tensions between other countries made it impossible for Germany not to become involved.