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Baron Beyens was a senior member of the Belgian diplomatic service who was posted to Berlin in 1912. His book, published in early 1916, is in part the result of his personal observations in Germany from 1912 until late 1914, when he departed the country after the German invasion of neutral Belgium at the beginning of the First World War. He had contacts with the political elite in Germany - including the Emperor - and knew their views on the key issues that contributed to international tension. In this volume Beyens profiled the men, their motives, and their reactions to events.
In addition, Beyens discusses the economic causes of the war, and explains some of the most pressing issues faced by European diplomats and governments in the years immediately preceding the war. The causes of World War I were so complex that they are still, over a century later, vigorously debated. This thoughtful book helps to throw light on the fateful decisions that brought on a disastrous war. - Summary by Ted Lienhart